Animal urine patch characteristics and urine patch effects on grassland vegetation and animal diet selection are reviewed. The main component of animal urine is urea and urine nitrogen concentration ranges from 20 to 80 g N/m2. The volume of urine deposited and the physical size of individual urine patches varies according to animal type, the amount of drinking water consumed, and the grazing season. Individual urine patches differ in quantity deposited and in concentration, and tend to be distributed randomly in a more or less linear pattern along the grazing route of the animal. The concentration of urine nitrogen also differs greatly between the center and the border of urine patches. The effect of animal urine on grassland extends beyond the urine patch area, being about two times size of the urine patch, and typically lasts 6 months to a year. Animal urine has long-term positive and short-term negative effects on grassland herbage accumulation, depending on urine nitrogen concentration and urine excretion stage. Animal urine generally increases grass growth at the expense of legume growth and nitrogen fixation. The herbage within urine patches has higher nitrogen content than that of surrounding vegetation. the herbage nitrogen content ranged with different animal urine excretion, and the positive effect occurred on the condition of the urine excretion of ≤250 kg N/（hm2•a）. Animal urine deposition has been reported to increase grassland species abundance, richness and diversity indices, which were affected by grazing and management measurements. Different plant species responded differently to animal urine deposition, and animal selective grazing, and these differing responses are instrumental in maintaining grassland heterogeneity. Grazing animals preferentially and repeatedly grazed urine patches or higher nutrient resources, and also defoliated these patches more intensively. In grassland management, attention to practical details such as location drinking water sites, or provision of feed supplement and shelter establishment, among others, may promote more uniform grazing and decrease preferential grazing of urine patch areas.