History Main / FantasticFaunaCounterpart

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': In this UrbanFantasy story, dragons are the equivalents of [[AllAnimalsAreDogs dogs]], whereas unicorns, out of all things, are garbage-eating, hissing pests in the vein of raccoons.

* Some species in ''Series/TheFutureIsWild'' fit the bill. Shagrats are the rodent equivalents of musk ox, the snowstalker is a mustelid resembling a polar bear, the gannetwhales (despite their name) are seal- or walrus-like birds. The deathgleaner is a giant bat filling the role of vultures. The flish are [[FlyingSeafoodSpecial flying fish]] behaving like birds, and the squibbons are [[{{Portmanteau}} squids living in trees like gibbons]], with monkey-like social behavior.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'': the eponymous family has a prosauropod dinosaur [[AllAnimalsAreDogs acting like a dog]] and a sabre-toothed cat acting like a house cat. Other prehistoric animals replace ''objects'' such as vehicles and household appliances.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', the FrogMen keep spiders as dog-like pets, ride giant snails similarly to horses or donkeys, and keep giant worms (with cow-like coloration) for dairy. Meanwhile, there are flies that act like birds (actual birds also exist, but they are [[GiantFlyer monstrous predators]]), and hedgehogs that hunt in packs and cackle like hyenas. Also, an entire episode revolves around a caterpillar acting and looking like a cat.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'''s fauna is a combination of real-world animals (penguins, octopi) and MixAndMatchCritters made from real-life animals. The latter often stands in for their real-world counterparts -- turtleducks (ducks with turtle shells) inhabit ponds, polar bear dogs are fearsome predators, et cetera.
** In one humorous scene, Team Avatar was very confused that the Earth King's [[CoolPet pet bear]] was a regular bear and ''not'' a Mix-and-Match Critter.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' uses this mostly for comedic effect. There are worms in place of dogs, snails in place of cats (although there is also a breath-holding cat in one episode named Kenny), seahorses in place of horses and jellyfish in place of [[BeeAfraid bees]], out of all things.

Common in fantasy and science fiction as well as in SpeculativeBiology. Specific variants include AllAnimalsAreDogs, AllFlyersAreBirds and HorseOfADifferentColor. If the animals are even ''named'' after their real-world counterparts, that's CallASmeerpARabbit. Compare AnimalisticAbomination, where an EldritchAbomination shows resemblance to a mundane animal; CallARabbitASmeerp, where the fantastic species is identical to the mundane species apart from its name and small cosmetic differences; and InformedSpecies, when an animal is intended to be a mundane species but doesn't look much like it. Also compare FantasyCounterpartCulture and FantasyCounterpartReligion, where fictional cultures and religions replace real-life ones in a similar manner.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' uses this mostly for comedic effect. There are worms in place of dogs, snails in place of cats, seahorses in place of horses and jellyfish in place of [[BeeAfraid bees]], out of all things.

** ''Series/WalkingWithMonsters'' is especially guilty of this. The prehistoric fish ''Hyneria'' beaches to hunt amphibians like an orca hunting for seals; ''Diictodon'' burrow like reptilian gophers[[note]]''Diictodon'' [[TruthInTelevision did actually live in burrows though; their fossils are often found in them.]][[/note]]; ''Lystrosaurus'' migrate in large herds like wildebeest, crossing rivers where they are hunted by primitive crocodylians.

** ''Series/WalkingWithMonsters'' is especially guilty of this. The prehistoric fish ''Hyneria'' beaches to hunt amphibians like an orca hunting for seals; ''Diictodon'' burrow like reptilian gophers; ''Lystrosaurus'' migrate in large herds like wildebeest, crossing rivers where they are hunted by primitive crocodylians.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': In this world of living vehicles, farming machines take place of cattle - tractors act like cows, and a combine harvester acts like an aggressive bull. There are also tiny VW Beetles that take the place of insects.

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** ''Literature/TheNewDinosaursAnAlternativeEvolution'' has giraffe-pterosaurs (even with giraffe colours), penguin-pterosaurs, koala-dinosaurs (yes, they live in Australia), manatee-dinosaurs, pangolin-dinosaurs (called pangaloons), and even naked mole rat-dinosaurs to name a few.

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* Some species in ''Series/TheFutureIsWild'' fit the bill. Shagrats are the rodent equivalents of musk ox, the snowstalker is a mustelid resembling a polar bear, the gannetwhales (despite their name) are seal- or walrus-like birds. The deathgleaner is a giant bat filling the role of vultures. The flish are [[FlyingSeafoodSpecial flying fish]] behaving like birds, and the squibbons are [[{{Portmanteau}} squids living in trees like gibbons]], with monkey-like social behaviour.

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[[AC: Web Animation]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'''s fauna is a combination of real-world animals (penguins, octopi) and MixAndMatchCritters made from real-life animals. The latter often stands in for their real-world counterparts -- turtleducks (ducks with turtle shells) inhabit ponds, polar bear dogs are fearsome predators, etcetera.

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': Miniature [[LivingDinosaurs dinosaurs]] are the main fauna of the show's world. Pterodactyls soar the skies like sparrows or pigeons, while small sauropods and triceratops skitter around like squirrels. Gar's Bodega even has a baby T. rex as a pet.

** The examples in ''Series/WalkingWithBeasts'' are slightly more justified, as wooly mammoths and ''Deinotherium'' are actually related to elephants and so are ''Australopithecus'' to chimpanzees, so it makes sense that the series treats them as the prehistoric counterparts of these species. ''Smilodon'', however, is portrayed with a social structure identical to modern African lions. The most extreme example in the series is ''Ambulocetus'', which is portrayed as a mammalian crocodile.

** The examples in ''Series/WalkingWithBeasts'' are slightly more justified, as wooly mammoths and ''Deinotherium'' are actually related to elephants and so are ''Australopithecus'' to chimpanzees. ''Smilodon'', however, is portrayed with a social structure identical to modern African lions. The most extreme example in the series is ''Ambulocetus'', which is portrayed as a mammalian crocodile.

** The examples in ''Series/WalkingWithBeasts'' are slightly more justified, as wooly mammoths and ''Deinotherium'' are actually related to elephants and so are ''Australopithecus'' to humans. ''Smilodon'', however, is portrayed with a social structure identical to modern African lions. The most extreme example in the series is ''Ambulocetus'', which is portrayed as a mammalian crocodile.

** The examples in ''Series/WalkingWithBeasts'' are slightly more justified, as wooly mammoths and ''Deinotherium'' are actually related to elephants and so are ''Australopithecus'' to chimpanzees. ''Smilodon'', however, is portrayed with a social structure identical to modern African lions. The most extreme example in the series is ''Ambulocetus'', which is portrayed as a mammalian crocodile.

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': Miniature dinosaurs are the main fauna of the show's world. Pterodactyls soar the skies like sparrows or pigeons, while small sauropods and triceratops skitter around like squirrels. Gar's Bodega even has a baby T. rex as a pet.

To qualify for this trope, it is not a requirement for ''every'' species in the setting to have a real-world counterpart. For example, the setting can have giant monsters or magical beasts which, naturally, don't have any real-life equivalent. Regular, mundane animals can also appear in the setting (even if they might have [[CallARabbitASmeerp different names]]). As long as there is at least one species that plays the role of an obviously different real-life species, it counts - but of course, the more such species there are, the better.

This phenomenon, to an extent, exists in RealLife and is called convergent evolution. On different parts of the world and/or in different time periods, species largely unrelated to each other but filling the same ecological role (niche) will evolve similar anatomical and behavioral traits. However, these similarities will usually be superficial. But fiction likes to exaggerate this, with the fantastic species acting virtually identical to their real-world counterpart. If the only fantastic species like this is the counterpart to a [[AllAnimalsAreDogs dog]] or a [[HorseOfADifferentColor horse]], add the example to the respective subtropes instead.

The trope has two main variants. In one version, a number of fantasy/alien/prehistoric species are presented as counterparts to mundane, modern species. In the other version, the animals are mundane species, but clearly fill the role of ''other'', more familiar species - for example, an underwater setting where fish and other sea creatures act like mammals and birds, a MouseWorld where insects and other invertebrates are counterparts to larger animals, or a WorldOfMammals where there are other classes of animals replacing non-sapient mammals.

Common in fantasy and science fiction as well as in SpeculativeBiology. Specific variants include AllAnimalsAreDogs, AllFlyersAreBirds and HorseOfADifferentColor. If the animals are even ''named'' after their real-world counterparts, that's CallASmeerpARabbit. Compare AnimalisticAbomination, where an EldritchAbomination shows resemblance to a mundane animal; CallARabbitASmeerp, where the fantastic species is identical to the mundane species apart from its name and small cosmetic differences; and InformedSpecies, when an animal is intended to be a mundane species but doesn't look much like it.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'' takes place in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals that avoids CarnivoreConfusion with several species of "lizard" (read: DomesticatedDinosaurs) and {{Planimal}} taking the place of fauna. Allowing, for instance, a boar PC to go on a tusk-melon hunt.

* In ''WebAnimation/NoEvil'', jackalopes are used as beasts of burden, treated as the counterpart of oxen or donkeys.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': In this UrbanFantasy story, dragons are the equivalents of [[AllAnimalsAreDogs dogs]] and unicorns, out of all things, are garbage-eating, hissing pests in the vein of raccoons.

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