Which animal did Genesis say Noah took in seven pairs?

Genesis says Noah took clean animals in seven pairs, or seven of each kind, depending on translation.

Genesis 7:2 distinguishes clean animals from unclean animals. It instructs Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals and one pair of animals that are not clean. Genesis 7:3 gives a similar sevenfold instruction for birds, while Genesis 7:8 again distinguishes clean and unclean animals entering the Ark.

Translations differ because the underlying Hebrew wording can be read as “seven-seven,” which many traditional translations render as seven pairs, while others translate it as seven individuals of each kind. For a short answer, “clean animals” is the stable category being described; the numerical wording is the part that varies among translations.

The passage predates the detailed dietary laws associated with the Israelite priestly tradition in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Genesis does not list every clean species in this scene. It simply assumes a distinction known to the story's audience and gives Noah different numbers for clean and unclean animals.