This is the 4711th most frequent Russian word.
животное
"Animal."
Here 'животное' is the subject of the sentence, representing a generic living non-human creature.
Это животное живет в лесу.
This animal lives in the forest.
In this sentence, 'животном,' being in the instrumental case, refers to a specific animal that belongs to her, indicating possession.
Она заботится о своем животном.
She takes care of her animal.
The plural form 'животных' is used here to signify multiple animals in the context of the zoo.