Does animal have to be capitalize?

In scientific writing, the term "animal" is not capitalized unless it begins a sentence or is part of a proper name. For example:

Sentence: "Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms."

Proper name: "The Animal Kingdom"

However, in general writing, it is common to capitalize the term "animal" when it is used to refer to a specific species or group of animals. For example:

"My favorite animal is the African elephant."

"The animals in the zoo include lions, tigers, and bears."