Theriotypes & Therian Glossary

How Therians Usually Discover Their Theriotype

Most therians don't learn their theriotype all at once. Discovering it is usually part of awakening, a period of noticing, questioning and slowly recognizing yourself. Common threads include:

• Lifelong patterns. Instincts, habits or a sense of "wrongness" in a human body that go back to early childhood.
• Shifts. Phantom limbs, sensory changes or mental shifts that point toward a particular body shape or way of thinking, such as a tail versus wings, or hunting versus hiding.
• Research. Learning how real animals live, then noticing which details produce a jolt of recognition and which leave you cold.
• Dreams and quiet reflection, which many therians find helpful but don't treat as proof on their own.

Taking time is normal, and it's also normal to start with a broad guess like "some kind of canine" and narrow it down over months or years. A quiz like our theriotype quiz can suggest animals to explore, but only you can confirm what fits.

Theriotype, Kintype, Spirit Animal or Favorite Animal?

These words get mixed up a lot, but they mean different things:

• Theriotype: the real, earthly animal a therian identifies as. It's part of their identity, not something they chose.
• Kintype: a broader word for any non-human identity, including mythical or fictional beings. Every theriotype is a kintype, but a dragon kintype isn't a theriotype. Read more about otherkin.
• Spirit animal: a concept that comes from specific Indigenous and other spiritual traditions, where an animal acts as a guide or protector. It isn't the same as identifying as the animal, and many people prefer not to use the term casually out of respect for those cultures.
• Favorite animal: an animal you love, admire or enjoy. You can adore wolves without being a wolf. A deep, lasting kinship with an animal may be otherhearted.

Why Some Therians Have More Than One Theriotype

Not everyone has a single animal. A polytherian has two or more stable theriotypes, for example a wolf and a raven. A cladotherian identifies with a whole group of related animals, such as "felines" or "corvids," rather than one species. A polymorph experiences their animal identity changing or rotating over time. None of these are more or less valid than having one clear theriotype. They're simply different shapes an identity can take.

Theriotypes by Group

The guides on this page fall into a few natural groups. If you feel drawn to one group but not a single animal, reading the whole group side by side can help.

Canines

Wolf, dog, coyote and fox. These are all members of the dog family. They're social or semi-social, and they rely on smell and hearing.

Felines

Domestic cat, lion, tiger and panther. These are stalk-and-pounce predators. Most are solitary, with the lion as the famously social exception.

Birds

Hawk / bird of prey, owl and raven / corvid. Phantom wings are a common shared experience, but the headspaces differ: hunting by daylight, hunting by sound at night, and clever, curious scavenging.

Prey animals

Deer, horse and rabbit / hare. These are watchful animals with wide fields of view, quick startle responses and strong social bonds.

Other mammals

Bear and otter. The first is a grounded, mostly solitary omnivore. The second is a playful, water-loving member of the weasel family.

Mythical

Dragon. It's included here for completeness, but because dragons aren't real animals, a dragon identity is usually called otherkin or theriomythic.

Your animal not listed? That's completely fine. Any real, earthly animal can be a theriotype, including insects, reptiles, fish and extinct species (see paleotherian).