Knee osteoarthritis has such characters as high incidence and high morbidity, and at this stage of its pathogenesis is not fully clear, the lack of a really effective cure, also is the research of its pathogenesis and treatment still is given priority to with animal experiment, the key is to establish ideal animal model. Currently, there are many kinds of experimental animals for knee osteoarthritis, with various modes and advantages and disadvantages. Before conducting animal experiments, the research purpose and model characteristics should be taken into consideration. This article reviews the recent progress in the animal models of osteoarthritis of the knee.