Final answer:
Animals use glycogen as their major form of energy storage, which is a highly branched polymer of glucose. Click for more.
Step-by-step explanation:
Animals use glycogen as their major energy storage, a highly branched polymer of glucose. Glycogen is composed of up to 106 D-glucose units joined by alpha-1,4-glycosidic linkages with branching occurring through alpha-1,6-glycosidic linkages. It is more highly branched than amylopectin, which is found in plants as a component of starch. This branching occurs every 10 to 15 D-glucose units, making glycogen more soluble in water and allowing for quicker hydrolysis into multiple D-glucose units when energy is required.
Glycogen is primarily made and stored within the liver and muscle cells. It serves as an important form of energy storage in animals, functioning similarly to starch in plants. When blood glucose levels decrease, glycogen is broken down in a process known as glycogenolysis to release glucose, helping maintain homeostasis of blood glucose levels.