  We analyze the morphology and dynamics of the galaxies of the Hickson 96
compact group by means of deep CCD images in the B, V and R photometric bands
and long-slit spectroscopy. The four galaxies of this spiral rich group show
signs of gravitational interaction. Two long tails come out from the contact
region of the close pair H96ac. It is also there where both galaxies,
bi-symmetrical in their inner parts, loose one of their arms. Moreover, both
the photometric and kinematical center of H96a are displaced relative to the
center of the disk. H96b, a giant elliptical galaxy, shows significant
deviations from a $r^{1/4}$ law at the inner parts and small rotation along its
major axis. We find at the centre of the galaxy an elongated component which is
kinematically decoupled. A wide faint plume seems to emerge from this galaxy.
H96d, the smallest galaxy of the group, seems to be influenced by the bigger
members, as indicated by three prominent knots of recent bursts of star
formation in its blue disk, and by hints of optical bridges joining H96d with
H96a and b. Finally the group has a low velocity dispersion (160 km/s) and is
well isolated - no galaxies with comparable magnitude to H96a or H96b are found
in its neighborhood. All these results lead us to conclude that Hickson 96
constitutes a real physical system.
