This page is modeled after the main analysis page Animal Stereotypes, but it is meant for species that do not appear often in fiction. However, even these animals may also have recurring trends and stereotypes associated with them, and they are listed here. When adding something to this list, make sure it is not already listed on the main page first.
General list of animal stereotypes
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Mammals
- Chinchillas: Ridiculously Cute Critters that rarely serve a purpose beyond showing someone's fondness for small, fluffy animals. As such, tend to be essentially living props more often than characters.
- Civets, genets, fanalokas and binturongs: Tend to be confused with each other and also mistaken for cats, mustelids and mongooses. If you ever hear of a civet, expect it to be shown as nothing more than a coffee bean pooper for purposes of creating a specific brand of coffee. The rare times they are shown, they are either soft-spoken and shy or crafty and sometimes outright villainous, shown as a tropical counterpart to weasels.
- Panthers: Soft-spoken, wise and cool-minded. Tend to be disrespected by other predators. Can be dangerous when hunting or provoked. Will often be treated as a distinct species, despite simply being black jaguars and leopards.
Birds
- Grouses/Woodgrouses - a more temperamental version of the pheasant. They usually showcase their strength, rather than their looks. Can be quite the Large Hams with loud, rumbling voices, who tend to go over the top when battling or attracting mates. May be insecure on the inside or be sticklers to following traditions.
- Hoatzins: Still rare, but are starting to appear more in fiction these days. Generally are known as stoners and/or The Pig-Pen of the birds as well as living Prehistoric Monsters due to being similar to Archeopteryx. Newborns of the species may be portrayed as BadassAdorable due to their ability to climb with their rudementary nails as well a swim.
- Hoopoes - Pig-pens, like the hoatzin, but, in this case, it's closer to the Real Life. Shows great affinity for sand and are thought to be weird, due to their presumable taxonomic association with cuckoos.
- Kingfishers: Acrobatic and strong despite their size. Can be shown as arrogant and wanting to pick fights.
- Shoebills: Ominous, silent stalkers with a Kubrick Stare. Unless they make sounds like machine guns.
- Woodcocks - amusing oddballs, who are usually seen performing a dancing strut to all kinds of music.
Reptiles and Amphibians
- Amphisbaenids - stoical and seclusive diggers, who are dedicated to their work. Tend to be confused with snakes and may evoke fear in people, but some find them cool, due to the armored scales they have.
- Caecilians - shy, secretive, but friendly beings. People tend to make fun of them, due to looking like certain parts of mammalian anatomy. If the work is from the viewpoint of an insect, a caecilian is likely to get casted as an antagonist, just like aardvarks and antbears.
- Salamanders and Newts: Often mistaken for lizards. Salamanders are shown to have an affinity for fire, despite the fact that in reality they use their slimy skin to escape from a fire as soon as possible. They are shown as being passive, blissful and generally not doing much, except eating. More rarer, both newts and salamanders, but especially newts can be shown as dramatic and gaudy due to their colors and mating forms. Alternatively, newts may be associated with witchcraft and magic.
Fish
- Clownfish: Either jokers, pranksters or just ordinary individuals that have to deal with everyone else laughing at them and expecting them to act like clowns.
- Tangs: Cheerful and forgetful, but generally inclined to help. The fact that they can be dangerous and territorial in the real life isn't shown.
Invertebrates
- Grasshoppers: Shown as promiscious, fun-loving, lazy, but sometimes annoying and clingy layabouts. Locusts are the exception, being portrayed as voracious and aggressive.
- Jellyfish: Passive but can sometimes appear acting like underwater versions of wasps or bees due to their ability to sting.
- Ladybugs: Friendly and doesn't fear humans. Can also be heroic and generally a symbol of good luck. A male ladybug, if one is ever show, will be often seen showing contempt for being misgendered.
- Stick insects: Tend to be disrespected and ignored. They are crafty and clever, but not very emotional.
- Pillbugs: Usually portrayed as more or less the invertebrate version of armadillos— either as cowards who curl into a ball at the slightest threat, or as tough survivors because of their armor. If they're fighters, they're guaranteed to use a Rolling Attack.
- Sea Cucumbers: Basically only appear for the sake of jokes about their phallic appearance and tendency to squirt white goo when provoked. The gag of a girl at a beach picking up a sea cucumber and being sprayed with its intestines is a particularly common one in anime. In more kid-friendly works, they'll be depicted as the underwater version of real cucumbers.
Prehistoric Creatures
- Cynodonts: Shown as being overly aggresive and sometimes as Boisterous Weaklings.
