The Animal Kingdoms are communities of Faerie which are populated by intelligent, talking animals of a particular type which generally behave a lot like humans but which nevertheless tend to have exaggerated character traits which are said to be shared by their mundane animal counterparts. Often they walk on all fours like animals, but equally often they walk on their hind legs, their front paws are shaped like hands, and they wear clothing and are able to use equipment just like humans can.
Despite the name, not all of the animal kingdoms are actual monarchies - while the Lion Kingdom has a king, the Fox Republic is ruled by an elected mayor. Usually, the animal kingdoms can be found in the regions where their mundane counterparts can be found - though like many faerie domains, they tend to wander within that region.
Adventure Ideas
Designer's Notes & Resources
Yes, this means that if one of your players really wants to play an anthropomorphic animal character, he can - though generally I recommend keeping them in Faerie as much as possible.