According to the story in Genesis, Noah was first told to collect two of every animal. A little later this is changed to 'Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female' and the 'unclean' beasts to be taken in twos as before ('clean' refers to Jewish dietary laws here.)
Total numbers aren't given, but as the Ark is described as being only 300 cubits long (a cubit could be anything from a bit over a foot to a yard) and you couldn't fit a fraction of all the world's creatures into such a space, it's clear that the story isn't meant to be taken literally.
Total numbers aren't given, but as the Ark is described as being only 300 cubits long (a cubit could be anything from a bit over a foot to a yard) and you couldn't fit a fraction of all the world's creatures into such a space, it's clear that the story isn't meant to be taken literally.