Articles on: Your Animals & Records

Reviewing, editing, and confirming an import

Review import shows each animal and family connection Creatures found in your upload, plus anything that still needs your choice. Nothing is added until you select the import button and confirm.

1. Check each animal

Each animal is a row. Open a row to check and fix its name, sex, birth date, color, and registrations. Under Pedigree, you can set or clear the Breed of any ancestor that came in without one. A row marked Needs review needs your attention.

Choose Import or Skip for each animal. Skipped animals stay in the review.
The Subject is the animal the document is about. It is always imported and can't be skipped.
Ancestors are marked pedigree relative. That means a place in the family tree, not an animal in My animals. Linking to another member's animal does not make it yours.
If a row says Possible duplicate of existing animal, open that animal first. Choose Import anyway only when it really is a different animal.

If you're asked Which animal on this pedigree is yours?, see Add an animal by importing its pedigree.

2. Choose between two readings

Creatures reads each pedigree twice. When both readings agree, that place is ready. When they differ, the place shows Choose the correct reading. Select Review first required choice at the top to jump there.

Select View original (new tab) to open your document.
Compare the two names. The letters that differ are highlighted.
Select Use the first reading or Use the second reading. Your choice saves right away, and you can change it before you import.

Choose the correct reading for the dam's dam on a phone, with Use the first reading and Use the second reading

If neither name is right, use Search Creatures to find the animal, or choose Decide later. If you import before choosing, that place and every relative above it stay empty.

If the readings are registration numbers, you can also type the right one under Neither is right? Type it from the document.

3. Decide about the original document

Under Original pedigree document, leave Save this file as a pedigree record on to keep the file with the animal's records. It stays Private unless you change it.

Show this file on the animal's public page is off by default. Anyone can open a public file, so check it for names, addresses, phone numbers, and signatures first.

Original pedigree document with Save this file as a pedigree record on and the public page choice off

A website import with photos adds Photos and documents, where you pick photos, a Main picture, and captions. Documents stay private.

4. Import

The bar at the bottom shows where the animals will go, such as Adding to: My animals. You choose a farm or organization on the import page.

Until the review is ready, the bar names your next step, such as Decide about this animal or Review animal details. When it's ready, the button reads Import 1 selected animal, or the number you chose.

Bottom bar showing Adding to: My animals and the Import 1 selected animal button

If some relatives have a registration on the source that couldn't be checked, Review registrations before importing lists them by name above the bar. Open one to choose the right reading, type it, or leave it blank on purpose. Leave unverified registrations blank does that for all of them and keeps anything you typed.

The confirm box counts the animals you're importing and, separately, pedigree relatives Creatures may add. One cow with six ancestors shows "Add 1 animal and up to 6 pedigree relatives?" When Creatures finds a safe match, it uses that existing animal instead of adding a copy.

Choose Import animals to save. Keep the page open; it can take up to a minute.
If some places are still undecided, the button reads Save with partial pedigree. Choose it only if you accept those gaps.
Choose Keep reviewing to go back.

5. Check the result

The page changes to Import complete. Import successful means your selected animals were saved. Saved with pedigree work remaining means Creatures left some places empty instead of guessing. If some relatives couldn't be linked, it says how many, with a link to add them on the pedigree.

Import successful with Add a record, Connect to your other animals, View, Back to imports, and Undo import

If relatives carry your farm name, These look like yours asks about them. Select Yes, add to My animals (or your farm's name) for each one that is yours.
If you see "imported details need your review," select Review and the number of details. Your file disagreed with an animal you already have. See Choosing which imported details to keep.
If Registry classifications says some need review, check the animal's registration record instead of guessing.

Undo an import

For 72 hours, Undo import removes what this import added: new animals, records, pedigree links, photo links, and details such as breed or color on an animal you already had, unless you changed them later. Animals you had before, anything Creatures must keep for safety, and your original photo files stay. Choose Keep everything to cancel. If some changes had to stay, the page says Undo finished and counts them.

Undo this import where safe? with Keep everything and Undo import

Updated on: 05/11/2026

Was this article helpful?

Thank you!