Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection. Although human beings are considered to be the primary host for this pathogen, the other animals are also implicated in the transmission and (or) infection. Until now, reports showed that animals such as elephants, non-human primates, tapirs, seals, dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, cattle and birds could be infected by M. tuberculosis. This review mainly described the prevalence and transmission of M. tuberculosis in wild and domestic animals, and summarized the main transmission routes of M. tuberculosis in these animals.