History Analysis / InformedSpecies

* Many cartoon aardvarks tend to look more like anteaters, with long snouts that point downwards rather than straight and lacking the pig-like noses at the tip. These snouts will also be [[AardvarkTrunks flexible like an elephant's trunk]].

* Most reindeer appearing in many Christmas specials look absolutely nothing like their real-life counterparts, instead looking more like mule deer, roe deer, or white tailed deer. Regardless of shape and markings, they are invariably depicted as deer-sized (in reality reindeer are closer to the size of horses).

* Most cartoon jaguars are shown with leopard-like rosettes or even cheetah-like solid spots (also occurring in cartoon leopards) instead of larger, scarcer rosettes with spots in the centerpoint.

* Many cartoon carnivores - occasionally even cats! - are drawn with pointed noses. Civets, raccoons, foxes, meerkats, sea lions, and to some extent weasels, badgers, mongooses, and skunks ''do'' have these features - but dogs, bears (black bears have a somewhat pointed snout and are usually depicted with blunter snouts than in real life), hyenas, and seals have much blunter snouts than they're commonly expected to have. And cats, of course, probably have the most human-looking faces of any mammals except primates. Walruses seem immune to this though; they keep their trademark big, wide muzzle and moustashe-like whiskers.
* Many cartoon seals are often drawn as resembling sea lions, namely having an upright frame and occasionally ear flaps. However, this may be acceptable if they were fur seals.
* Most cartoon rabbits and hares are drawn with heads shaped more like a cat's, with pink button noses. They also often have their incisors sticking out out of their mouths just like a beaver or a gopher, and pads on the bottom of their paws (which real rabbits and hares do not possess).

* Many cartoon monkeys and apes are sometimes drawn with dog-like noses and muzzles rather than two nostrils.

* Most cartoon sloths are drawn with noses shaped like a dog's nose, when real sloths have their nostrils placed on the front of their noses like pigs.
* Most cartoon squirrels and chipmunks are usually drawn with cat- or dog-noses, even though these rodents have noses shaped more like a rabbit's nose.

* Many cartoon birds are drawn with feet that look very different than in real life, namely having the incorrect number of toes or the toes being wrongly arranged. The most prominent example are parrots having chicken-feet with three toes in front and one in back, as opposed to two toes in front and two in back.
* Most cartoon pelicans are shown with oversized bill pouches, even when they should be empty.

* Many cartoon crows and ravens are drawn with yellow beaks and feet which makes them more closely resemble blackbirds or choughs.
* Most cartoon buzzards are portrayed resembling vultures rather than hawks. This is because "buzzard" is a New-World term for vultures.

[[folder:Reptiles]]
* Many cartoon alligators are drawn with thinner V-shaped snouts and the lower teeth visible when their mouths are closed, which makes them look more like crocodiles instead. Real alligators have wider U-shaped snouts, and their lower teeth are hidden underneath the upper jaw forming an overbite. Also, gators don't come in [[TypicalCartoonAnimalColors green]]. This is because most people have trouble telling alligators and crocodiles apart.
* Most media depictions of dinosaurs [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology do not resemble the real animals]]. For example, genera that should have feathers and/or beaks in real life are depicted lacking them, bipeds have their spines upright rather than parallel to the ground (with some exceptions such as therizinosaurs), ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is usually portrayed with a box-shaped head lacking keratinous bosses or hornlets, ''Velociraptor'' is [[RaptorAttack almost always portrayed]] resembling the larger ''Deinonychus'' or ''Utahraptor'', ''Troodon'' is often shown lacking the sickle-shaped claw on its feet making it resemble ''Compsognathus'' or ''Coelophysis'', ''Allosaurus'' often looks more like a downsized ''T. rex'' with three-fingered hands and longer arms, ''Spinosaurus'' is depicted as either a giant ''Baryonyx'' with a half-circular sail on its back or a sail-backed ''Allosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'' tends to have longer horns and forelimbs, quadrupedal dinosaurs are always shown with elephant-like feet, sauropods and stegosaurs are often shown with humped backs and low-hanging tails, ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' often have longer necks and thinner frames more akin to ''Diplodocus'', ''Stegosaurus'' is often portrayed with a short neck and misshapen plates arranged in pairs, ''Ankylosaurus'' is usually portrayed with spiky armor like ''Euoplocephalus'' and/or spikes along its sides like a nodosaur, ''Styracosaurus'' is either missing its frill or having long brow horns like a ''Triceratops'', etc. Sometimes this is due to ScienceMarchesOn, but often any advancements in science get flat-out ignored [[GrandfatherClause because the viewers already expect the dinosaurs to look a certain way]] [[RealityIsUnrealistic and may be shocked if they were portrayed otherwise]]. Also, dinosaurs covered with feathers would [[RuleOfCool just not have the same badass factor, now would they]]?
* Most media depictions of pterosaurs [[PteroSoarer look practically nothing like the real animals]]. Common errors include leathery bat-like wings (the wing structure of pterosaurs was actually quite different from that of any extant flying vertebrate), teeth and long bony tails in genera that lacked either of these features, grasping talons like those of a bird of prey (as far as we can tell from fossils pterosaur feet seem highly unsuitable for grasping), and a covering of scales instead of pycnofibres (pycnofibres being the fur-like structures that many, if not all pterosaurs were coated with in life).
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* Most cartoon scorpions are drawn with only six legs like on an insect, due to artists mistaking the pinchers for arms. Being arachnids, scorpions have eight legs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Misc.]]
* Most media depictions of prehistoric animals, not just dinosaurs and pterosaurs, often get hit with this. Common inaccuracies are plesiosaurs being shown with flexible necks that can be raised out of the water in a swan-like posture, mosasaurs with dorsal fringes or armored skin and paddle-like tails, the proto-mammal ''Dimetrodon'' resembling practically a lizard with a sail, the saber-toothed cat ''Smilodon'' having a standard cat-like body with a long tail, and mastodons being used interchangeably with mammoths.

* Most media depictions of dinosaurs [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology do not resemble the real animals]]. For example, genera that should have feathers and/or beaks in real life are depicted lacking them, bipeds have their spines upright rather than parallel to the ground (with some exceptions such as therizinosaurs), ''TyrannosaurusRex'' is usually portrayed with a box-shaped head lacking keratinous bosses or hornlets, ''Velociraptor'' is [[RaptorAttack almost always portrayed]] resembling the larger ''Deinonychus'' or ''Utahraptor'', ''Troodon'' is often shown lacking the sickle-shaped claw on its feet making it resemble ''Compsognathus'' or ''Coelophysis'', ''Allosaurus'' often looks more like a downsized ''T. rex'' with three-fingered hands and longer arms, ''Spinosaurus'' is depicted as either a giant ''Baryonyx'' with a half-circular sail on its back or a sail-backed ''Allosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'' tends to have longer horns and forelimbs, quadrupedal dinosaurs are always shown with elephant-like feet, sauropods and stegosaurs are often shown with humped backs and low-hanging tails, ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' often have longer necks and thinner frames more akin to ''Diplodocus'', ''Stegosaurus'' is often portrayed with a short neck and misshapen plates arranged in pairs, ''Ankylosaurus'' is usually portrayed with spiky armor like ''Euoplocephalus'' and/or spikes along its sides like a nodosaur, ''Styracosaurus'' is either missing its frill or having long brow horns like a ''Triceratops'', etc. Sometimes this is due to ScienceMarchesOn, but often any advancements in science get flat-out ignored [[GrandfatherClause because the viewers already expect the dinosaurs to look a certain way]] [[RealityIsUnrealistic and may be shocked if they were portrayed otherwise]]. Also, dinosaurs covered with feathers would [[RuleOfCool just not have the same badass factor, now would they]]?

* Most media depictions of dinosaurs [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology do not resemble the real animals]]. For example, genera that should have feathers and/or beaks in real life are depicted lacking them, bipeds have their spines upright in a tripod stance rather than parallel to the ground (with some exceptions such as therizinosaurs), ''TyrannosaurusRex'' is usually portrayed with a box-shaped head lacking keratinous bosses or hornlets, ''Velociraptor'' is [[RaptorAttack almost always portrayed]] resembling the larger ''Deinonychus'' or ''Utahraptor'', ''Troodon'' is often shown lacking the sickle-shaped claw on its feet making it resemble ''Compsognathus'' or ''Coelophysis'', ''Allosaurus'' often looks more like a downsized ''T. rex'' with three-fingered hands and longer arms, ''Spinosaurus'' is depicted as either a giant ''Baryonyx'' with a half-circular sail on its back or a sail-backed ''Allosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'' tends to have longer horns and forelimbs, quadrupedal dinosaurs are always shown with elephant-like feet, sauropods and stegosaurs are often shown with humped backs and low-hanging tails, ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' often have longer necks and thinner frames more akin to ''Diplodocus'', ''Stegosaurus'' is often portrayed with a short neck and misshapen plates arranged in pairs, ''Ankylosaurus'' is usually portrayed with spiky armor like ''Euoplocephalus'' and/or spikes along its sides like a nodosaur, ''Styracosaurus'' is either missing its frill or having long brow horns like a ''Triceratops'', etc. Sometimes this is due to ScienceMarchesOn, but often any advancements in science get flat-out ignored [[GrandfatherClause because the viewers already expect the dinosaurs to look a certain way]] [[RealityIsUnrealistic and may be shocked if they were portrayed otherwise]]. Also, dinosaurs covered with feathers would [[RuleOfCool just not have the same badass factor, now would they]]?

* Most media depictions of dinosaurs [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology do not resemble the real animals]]. For example, genera that should have feathers and/or beaks in real life are depicted lacking them, bipeds have their spines upright in a tripod stance rather than parallel to the ground (with some exceptions such as therizinosaurs), ''TyrannosaurusRex'' is usually portrayed with a boxy head, ''Velociraptor'' is [[RaptorAttack almost always portrayed]] resembling the larger ''Deinonychus'' or ''Utahraptor'', ''Troodon'' is often shown lacking the sickle-shaped claw on its feet making it resemble ''Compsognathus'' or ''Coelophysis'', ''Allosaurus'' often looks more like a downsized ''T. rex'' with three-fingered hands and longer arms, ''Spinosaurus'' is depicted as either a giant ''Baryonyx'' with a half-circular sail on its back or a sail-backed ''Allosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'' tends to have longer horns and forelimbs, quadrupedal dinosaurs are always shown with elephant-like feet, sauropods and stegosaurs are often shown with humped backs and low-hanging tails, ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' often have longer necks and thinner frames more akin to ''Diplodocus'', ''Stegosaurus'' is often portrayed with a short neck and misshapen plates arranged in pairs, ''Ankylosaurus'' is usually portrayed with spiky armor like ''Euoplocephalus'' and/or spikes along its sides like a nodosaur, ''Styracosaurus'' is either missing its frill or having long brow horns like a ''Triceratops'', etc. Sometimes this is due to ScienceMarchesOn, but often any advancements in science get flat-out ignored [[GrandfatherClause because the viewers already expect the dinosaurs to look a certain way]] [[RealityIsUnrealistic and may be shocked if they were portrayed otherwise]]. Also, dinosaurs covered with feathers would [[RuleOfCool just not have the same badass factor, now would they]]?

* Most media depictions of dinosaurs [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology do not resemble the real animals]]. For example, genera that should have feathers and/or beaks in real life are depicted lacking them, bipeds have their spines upright in a tripod stance rather than parallel to the ground (with some exceptions such as therizinosaurs), ''TyrannosaurusRex'' is usually portrayed with a box-shaped head, ''Velociraptor'' is [[RaptorAttack almost always portrayed]] resembling the larger ''Deinonychus'' or ''Utahraptor'', ''Troodon'' is often shown lacking the sickle-shaped claw on its feet making it resemble ''Compsognathus'' or ''Coelophysis'', ''Allosaurus'' often looks more like a downsized ''T. rex'' with three-fingered hands and longer arms, ''Spinosaurus'' is depicted as either a giant ''Baryonyx'' with a half-circular sail on its back or a sail-backed ''Allosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'' tends to have longer horns and forelimbs, quadrupedal dinosaurs are always shown with elephant-like feet, sauropods and stegosaurs are often shown with humped backs and low-hanging tails, ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' often have longer necks and thinner frames more akin to ''Diplodocus'', ''Stegosaurus'' is often portrayed with a short neck and misshapen plates arranged in pairs, ''Ankylosaurus'' is usually portrayed with spiky armor like ''Euoplocephalus'' and/or spikes along its sides like a nodosaur, ''Styracosaurus'' is either missing its frill or having long brow horns like a ''Triceratops'', etc. Sometimes this is due to ScienceMarchesOn, but often any advancements in science get flat-out ignored [[GrandfatherClause because the viewers already expect the dinosaurs to look a certain way]] [[RealityIsUnrealistic and may be shocked if they were portrayed otherwise]]. Also, dinosaurs covered with feathers would [[RuleOfCool just not have the same badass factor, now would they]]?

* Most media depictions of dinosaurs [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology do not resemble the real animals]]. For example, genera that should have feathers and/or beaks in real life are depicted lacking them, bipeds have their spines upright in a tripod stance rather than parallel to the ground (with some exceptions such as therizinosaurs), ''Velociraptor'' is [[RaptorAttack almost always portrayed]] resembling the larger ''Deinonychus'' or ''Utahraptor'', ''Troodon'' is often shown lacking the sickle-shaped claw on its feet making it resemble ''Compsognathus'' or ''Coelophysis'', ''Allosaurus'' often looks more like a downsized ''TyrannosaurusRex'' with three-fingered hands and longer arms, ''Spinosaurus'' is depicted as either a giant ''Baryonyx'' with a half-circular sail on its back or a sail-backed ''Allosaurus'', ''Carnotaurus'' tends to have longer horns and forelimbs, quadrupedal dinosaurs are always shown with elephant-like feet, sauropods and stegosaurs are often shown with humped backs and low-hanging tails, ''Apatosaurus'' and ''Brontosaurus'' often have longer necks and thinner frames more akin to ''Diplodocus'', ''Stegosaurus'' is often portrayed with a short neck and misshapen plates arranged in pairs, ''Ankylosaurus'' is usually portrayed with spiky armor like ''Euoplocephalus'' and/or spikes along its sides like a nodosaur, ''Styracosaurus'' is either missing its frill or having long brow horns like a ''Triceratops'', etc. Sometimes this is due to ScienceMarchesOn, but often any advancements in science get flat-out ignored [[GrandfatherClause because the viewers already expect the dinosaurs to look a certain way]] [[RealityIsUnrealistic and may be shocked if they were portrayed otherwise]]. Also, dinosaurs covered with feathers would [[RuleOfCool just not have the same badass factor, now would they]]?

* Most cartoon rabbits and hares are drawn with cat- or dog-like features (paw pads, binocular vision, and button noses, which neither rabbits nor hares possess in real life), and they also often have their incisors sticking out out of their mouths just like a beaver or a gopher.

* Most cartoon blobfish are depicted resembling their "ugly" form on land, which is actually the result of tissue damage from water pressure as they are taken from their natural habitat at extreme depths. When left in their natural habitat, blobfish look no more odd than most fish.

* Many cartoon alligators are drawn with thinner V-shaped snouts and the lower teeth visible when their mouths are closed, which makes them look more like crocodiles instead. Real alligators have wider U-shaped snouts, and their lower teeth are hidden underneath the upper jaw forming an overbite. Also, gators don't come in [[TypicalCartoonAnimalColors green]]. This is a result of most people having trouble telling alligators and crocodiles apart.

* Many cartoon alligators are drawn with thinner V-shaped snouts and the lower teeth visible when their mouths are closed, which makes them look more like crocodiles instead. Real alligators have wider U-shaped snouts, and their lower teeth are hidden underneath the upper jaw forming an overbite. Also, gators don't come in [[TypicalCartoonAnimalColors green]]. This isn't surprising considering most people have trouble telling alligators and crocodiles apart.

* Many cartoon alligators are drawn with thinner V-shaped snouts and the lower teeth visible when their mouths are closed, which makes them look more like crocodiles instead. Real alligators have wider U-shaped snouts, and their lower teeth are hidden underneath the upper jaw forming an overbite. Also, gators don't come in [[TypicalCartoonAnimalColors green]]. This is likely due to people having trouble telling alligators and crocodiles apart.

* Many cartoon alligators are drawn with thinner V-shaped snouts and the lower teeth visible when their mouths are closed, which makes them look more like crocodiles instead. Real alligators have wider U-shaped snouts, and their lower teeth are hidden underneath the upper jaw forming an overbite. Also, gators don't come in [[TypicalCartoonAnimalColors green]].