History Main / MyInstinctsAreShowing

* Werewolves in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', being somewhere in-between human and wolf, act a lot like dogs sometimes. They tend to wince at the word B.A.T.H., for instance (and Vimes able to troll them by name-dropping Vetinari as often as possible because it sounds sounds like veterinarian). Angua is the only one who tries to suppress these instincts. [[spoiler: Vimes invokes this at the end of ''The Fifth Elephant'' to kill Wolfgang, by throwing a flare and counting on Wolfgang (who [[VillainousBreakdown isn't in the best of mental states anyway]]) to catch it.]]

** In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/20935961#bookmark-form Predator Instincts]]'', a thief steals Rose's bag and Marinette rushes to stop him. However, her means matches more of a hunter going after her prey, and she is horrified at the look of fear of the robber. When the two are alone, Tikki confirms that the Miraculous will enhance all of her traits, including her predatory nature from both her Ladybug and ''humans'' instincts.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' has this occur for ponies who enter the human world, with Twilight Sparkle trying to run about on all fours when she's first [[HumanityEnsues turned into a human]], and attempting to eat and write without aid of her hands even on the return visit, with Starlight Glimmer similarly struggling when she jumps dimensions for the first time. Even Sunset Shimmer, who has lived in the human world for so long that she's [[GoingNative gone native]], can still be seen holding her hands as fists to imitate hooves on a few occasions throughout the movies and specials.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' has Twilight Sparkle trying to run about on all fours when she's first [[HumanityEnsues turned into a human]]. In a later scene, still getting used to being a human, she tries to eat an apple with just her teeth, to the bafflement of Fluttershy's AlternateSelf. Eventually, [[BigBad Sunset Shimmer]] attempts to ruin Twilight's popularity with [[InstantHumiliationJustAddYouTube video footage of her clumsy attempts to adjust to the human world]].
** After joining the Humane Cast, Sunset sometimes slips into this, holding her hands as fists to imitate hooves. Given how long she's been in the human world, it's rarer and more subtle; in fact, when she returns to Equestria in ''Mirror Magic'', she forgets at first to walk on all fours, managing (barely) to stand on her hind legs and getting odd looks, and tries and fails to pick things up with her hooves before being reminded by Starlight that she's a ''unicorn'' and thus has levitation magic. (A bit of FridgeLogic: she had no issues moving as a pony or using her magic in the first movie, but she was in Equestria for much longer then, giving herself a chance to remember before encountering the cast.)
** Speaking of Starlight, she goes with Sunset to the Human World for the rest of the short, falling into many of the same issues as Twilight did in the first movie (including trying to run on all fours at first). Thankfully she has Sunset to coach her through these moments, though some of them end up embarrassing Sunset.

* ''Fanfic/VoyagesOfTheWildSeaHorse'': Female SharkMan Miriam has a bad habit of gnawing on or even eating inedible objects when distracted, contemplative or bored, which she blames on her having the aspect of a ''tiger shark'', a species of shark notorious for its ExtremeOmnivore tendencies.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower: Frix is a humanoid furry alien, so when his fur get wet his natural reflex is to [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-943-frixkrieg/ shake himself like a dog.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019'': [[SharkMan King Shark]] is normally a cheerful computer expert but if he gets a whiff of blood he'll go feral to attack the source to eat it. [[spoiler:This seems to go even beyond the regular standards of the shark kingdom as King Sharks' most shameful memory is him devouring his younger brother after he got a scratch to the absolute horror of their father.]]

** Spike, who while normally TheHeart and TheReliableOne of the team, is still a young ''dragon'' and will on instinct gather up goods for a "hoard". Going too far in this will ''literally'' turn him into a monster.
** Thorax, a changeling who would rather [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire hang out than drain the love of others]] ''still'' can't help but hiss and flick his tongue when faced with an abundance of love or affection. The way he quickly apologizes and even trembles and sweats as he does it makes it [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything very reminiscent of a recovering alcoholic or drug addict]].

* ''WesternAnimation/PennZeroPartTimeHero'' features this. Due to a mix up in the particle transporter, Penn's genes are spliced with the equivalent of an alien dog's. As a result, he begins acting like the creature. He chases bugs, begs for treats and arguably barks by saying the words "Flurgle Burgle". Needless to say, this was not an easy mission for the trio.
* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Catra, a CatGirl, tends to act like a cat when surprised. Adora mentions in the first episode that she jumps at the sight of mice ("That only happened ''once''"), her tail is an excellent indicator of her mood, and in a fifth season episode Netossa casually demonstrates that her weakness is [[CatsHateWater water]].
* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': Like many Caitians, Dr. T'Ana toys with her animal side, speaking in a raspy growl and daydreaming about getting her "coital hooks" into Shaxs. But way for her yearly heat, or force her to get a medical exam, and she suddenly becomes full-on cat.

** [[CatGirl Kipo]], once she begins using [[VoluntaryShapeshifting her powers more]], starts indulging in more instinctual jaguar behaviors. It's also the main reason why complete transformation into a [[DireBeast Mega-Jaguar]] is the last thing she indulges in, as wholly turning into a giant purple jaguar before she can reliably rein in her dangerous wild animal tendencies risks her permanently losing her human mind.