Beasts are everywhere in the art of the Renaissance. Lambs, elephants, dogs, camels, cats, weasels, and monkeys, not to mention unicorns, dragons and angels. Real and imaginary creatures populate nativity scenes, accompany saints, sit on the laps of noblewomen, decorate furniture, and sculpture and hide on stairways. Why are they there? What do they mean? And how did artists visualise animals they might never have seen, such as elephants, or imaginary creatures like dragons? This talk offers a fresh perspective on the art of Renaissance Italy through a focus on depictions of creatures of all kinds and their meanings.