Acute spinal cord injury is a central nervous system injury with a high disability rate and serious consequences, which brings a heavy burden to individuals, families and society. No effective treatments exist for spinal cord injuries, but different therapies, including stem cells, drugs and tissue engineering have been used in various animal models with some success. Similar questions remain as to whether the mechanism of injury, effectiveness, and integrity of animal models can mimic what is seen clinically. This paper describes the application, advantages, and disadvantages of several common animal models of acute mechanical spinal cord injury, as well as the selection of common animal types and injury segments, to provide references for selecting more effective animal models.