The relationship between human beings and animals is complex and fascinating. At one level, animals provided an important source of food and a series of secondary products such as dairy foods, skins and bone implements. Large animals such as cattle also provided an important source of traction which may have been critical for the transportation of heavy loads.

Cattle, goats, pigs and poultry thus held a prominent place in agriculture. The value of such animals went beyond the more mundane necessities of food production. As critical resources, animals may have symbolized forms of wealth and prestige. This symbolism was expressed in ritual ceremonies that included animal sacrifices as well as several artistic representations that varied in character and visual expression. Animals were thus depicted in groups, probably representing herds and a certain level of wealth, or in large sized carvings on megaliths. Although many representations come from temple sites such as that of Tarxien, others come from funerary contexts. Many personal ornaments were fashioned to represent animals.

Birds, lizards, fish, snakes and grotesque creatures give us a glimpse of a fascination that went beyond a pastoral way of life. An interest in wild life is reflected in the variety of small figurines and especially megalithic carvings. In some cases, particular representations such as the carved fish depiction from Bugbba or the carved snake from Ggantija reflect a specific concern that was prominently displayed in temples. A number of grotesque figures seem to suggest an imaginary world that went beyond pastoralism and wild life.