Carnival of the Animals is a musical suite by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, composed in 1886. Scored for a chamber ensemble featuring strings, piano and wind instruments, the suite employs vivid characterisation and lighthearted, often witty themes to evoke various animals and occupies a distinctive place in Saint-Saëns's output as an example of his late-career chamber music that blends classical form with programme-like elements.
