How does the idea of "existence precedes essence" apply to animals?
I'm not quite sure what you are asking, but I'll try to give you my answer:
Existence precedes essence in the sense that in order to be an essence there would have to be something to exist to "contain" that essence. I don't see the connection to animals in particular.
Other people asked questions on similar topics, check out the answers they received:
Other people asked questions on various topics, and are still waiting for answer. Would be great if you can take a sec and answer them