A camera method and a monitoring camera with an animal recognition function are provided. The camera method includes two steps of image capture and feature identification. Specifically, a camera system is started when a trigger signal representing that a moving object enters a camera range is captured by a trigger sensor of a monitoring camera, and the monitoring camera captures an image of an animal within the camera range. Then the captured image is transmitted to a feature identification system configured on the monitoring camera to determine an animal category of the animal presented in the captured image by the feature identification system, thereby classifying and storing the captured image. The camera method and the monitoring camera store the captured images separately from other images as needed, thereby effectively improving efficiency of browsing and analyzing the images of the monitored animal, which brings convenience to the user.