Humans aren’t the exact same thing as animals, but are a subcategory of animals right? And animals are not human, correct?

Question

In regards to classification what is the definition of animal? Is it saying humans are exactly like animals and are animals? Lime dogs or cats?

Answer 1

In biological classification, humans are indeed categorized as animals. The term "animal" encompasses a broad range of multicellular organisms, including humans, dogs, cats, and various other species. While humans possess unique cognitive abilities and cultural characteristics that distinguish us from other animals, biologically, we share many fundamental traits and genetic similarities with other members of the animal kingdom. Therefore, from a taxonomic perspective, humans fall within the classification of animals, albeit with distinct features that set us apart.

Answer 2

The distinction between plants and animals gets to be blurry for unicellular organisms. Plants are a form of autotrophs that happen to get their energy from the sun while chemoautotrophs get their energy from environmental chemicals. Animals are then heterotrophs meaning that they must eat another organism to survive. Within heterotrophs you have herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Therefore, all humans are animals. Humans are similar to cats and dogs in many regards which is why NASA used a dog in early tests of space. It just depends on what specific traits you are interested in studying as to which animal model to use.