What shared characteristics define *Canis lupus* belonging to Kingdom Animalia?
Answer
Multicellularity and heterotrophic nutrition.
The Kingdom Animalia groups organisms based on fundamental traits that distinguish them from plants or fungi. For an organism like the wolf, this means it must be multicellular, indicating complex organization beyond single cells. Crucially, it must also be heterotrophic, meaning it obtains energy by consuming other organisms rather than producing its own food through processes like photosynthesis, which is characteristic of plants and some bacteria. This places the wolf alongside all other animals, from the simplest sponges to humans, due to this shared mode of energy acquisition.

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