animal kingdom is classified into several hierarchical levels of classification. The broadest and highest level of classification is the Kingdom Animalia, which includes all animals. Below the kingdom level, animals are further divided into various taxonomic ranks, including phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
At the phylum level, there are approximately 36 recognized animal phyla, which represent the major groups of animals based on certain characteristics. Some well-known phyla include Chordata (which includes vertebrates like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes), Arthropoda (which includes insects, spiders, crustaceans), Mollusca (which includes snails, clams, squids), and Annelida (which includes earthworms, leeches).
Within each phylum, there are numerous classes, orders, families, and so on, that further categorize animals based on their specific characteristics and evolutionary relationships. The number of groups at these lower taxonomic levels is vast and continually updated as new discoveries are made and our understanding of animal taxonomy evolves.