Final answer:
Mitosis in eukaryotic animal cells involves multiple phases, including prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis, resulting in two genetically identical daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best example of mitosis in eukaryotic animal cells can be seen when a cell undergoes a multi-phase process to divide its nucleus and results in two genetically identical diploid daughter cells. During prophase, chromatin condenses into chromosomes and the nuclear envelope breaks down. The centrioles separate and move to opposite poles, forming a spindle made of microtubules. This is followed by metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, where chromosomes align, separate, and nuclei reform, respectively. Finally, cytokinesis occurs, splitting the cytoplasm and creating two new cells.
Comparing mitosis to meiosis and binary fission, mitosis is a type of asexual reproduction that results in daughter cells that are exact replicas of the parent cell, each with the same number of chromosome sets. Meiosis, in contrast, results in four non-identical daughter cells each with half the number of chromosomes of the original cell. Binary fission, occurring in bacteria, is simpler than mitosis, involving a single DNA loop that duplicates and is partitioned into two new cells without the complexity of eukaryotic chromosomes.