Abstract: Heavy metal pollution in soil is one of the most serious problems in soil pollution, which has a serious impact on ecosystem stability and human health. Soil animals, which are important organic components of the soil ecosystem, play a great role in the nutrient cycle and energy flow of the system and are good bioindicators of soil health, soil pollution and ecological restoration. This paper selects four typical soil animals, including soil protozoa, soil nematodes, soil oribatid mites and soil springtails, to systematically describe their responses to heavy metal pollution, and forecasts the development prospects of soil animal monitoring and environmental quality assessment.