In Genesis, which animal group was taken onto the Ark in seven pairs?

In Genesis, clean animals were taken onto the Ark in seven pairs.

Genesis 7:2 tells Noah to take seven pairs of every clean animal, while one pair of every unclean animal was to be taken. The wording is commonly translated as “seven pairs,” though some translations render it as seven individuals of each sex or a similar formulation.

This instruction appears shortly before the Flood begins and differs from the more general statement in Genesis 6:19–20 that Noah should bring pairs of living creatures. Readers often remember only the phrase “two by two,” but the later passage adds a special distinction for clean animals.

In the biblical story, the distinction also connects with sacrifice: after leaving the Ark, Noah builds an altar and offers burnt offerings from clean animals and birds. The classification is therefore both zoological within the narrative and connected to ritual practice.