History Main / IAmNotWeasel

* Happens to Misty in season 1 of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', when a [[WildChild kid]] [[RaisedByWolves raised by Kangaskhan]] mistakes her for a Pokemon, much to her chagrin.

** Of course, if not for his father and half-brother's transformations, it'd be easy to conclude that Inu-Yasha ''is'' a cat demon; claws sharp enough to use as deadly weapons aren't exactly a dog trait after all.
* [[BigBadassWolf Zafira]] of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', gets this every so often, even from his [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld long-time]] allies.

* ''OnePiece'''s Tony Tony Chopper is frequently mistaken for a tanuki/raccoon-dog in his hybrid form and a yeti(at least once) in human form. Of course, his real form is that of a reindeer. Franky has also referred to him as a "Gorilla" and even "Gorilla-Deer" when he realized he was a Devil Fruit user.

** Of course, Mushu goes on to call Mulan's horse a cow for the rest of the movie.

* At one point in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCyberChase'', [[ItMakesSenseInContext Fred attempts to bullfight a lion]]. At first he shouts, "Toro, toro!" which causes the lion to look around in confusion, as if to say "Bull? Where?". Fred thinks for a moment, then shouts, "Leo, leo![[note]] ''Technically'', he should be saying "león", but eh, details[[/note]]"
** Actually, given that [[FridgeBrilliance he was in a Roman Colosseum-like virtual world at the time]], shouting "leo" would have been more appropriate than "león."
* Elsa the Pterodactyl from ''WesternAnimation/WereBackADinosaursStory'' apparently hates being referred to as a bat.
** But apparently [[SomewhereAPaleontologistIsCrying she's okay with being referred to as a dinosaur]].

* The Librarian from ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' (who is an orang-utan) gets ''very upset'' when people call him a monkey. Typically, he expresses it by hanging them by their ankles and banging their head against the floor. To the point they fear to just say the ''word'' monkey, when trying to tell someone not to call him a monkey....
** Well, not ''all'' the time. At one point in ''Discworld/SoulMusic'', Glod thwarted a prank by UU students with "These boys called you a monkey. I'd make them feel sorry, if I were you..."
** Not to mention a few gags where a very, ''very'' overstressed character calls the Librarian a monkey, everyone else flinches, and he pats their hand and offers a soothing "ook" instead. ([[PetTheDog Aw.]])
** Although, in one case, a drunken perpetrator is [[CrowningMomentOfFunny mysteriously pitched over the side of a bridge]] on his way home that evening.

** To the extent that the ''word'' orang-utan is said to be a [=BhangBhangDuc=] (the Disc's Borneo, one presumes) word meaning "definitely NOT a monkey".

* The [[ViolentGlaswegian Nac Mac Feegles]] of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' also insist that they are not the generic "gnome", but "Pictsies". And [[SpellMyNAmeWithAnS the spelling is also important:]] They are not "pixies".

** In the predecessor, ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', Nall, another creature who appears to be a flying-cat, [[BerserkButton reacts rather badly]] when anyone refers to him as such, although he is at a loss as to what he actually is until almost the end of the game.

* In a video of "ChipCheezum"s, where they're Retsupuraeing someones LP of "Okami", the kid starts calling Ammy a...bunny. Chip then rages that Ammy is not a bunny, she's a ''dog''. Of course several youtubers then pointed out Ammy is actually a ''WOLF''. The original description read "IT'S A DOOOOOOOOG", but later "SHUT UP IT'S A WOLF" was added.

** On the same show, [[MeaningfulName Heffer]] was often referred to as a cow, and would have to correct people (usually his father) that he was technically a steer. This is justified in that a "cow" is a female bovine, while a "steer" is a male that was neutered as a calf. It's very much like calling a eunuch a "girl" or "woman". Some people tend to get mad when you refer to them as the wrong gender. Of course, his saying that he's a ''steer'', rather than a bull, raises some UnfortunateImplications.
*** Actually, his father will correct others for the mistake too.

** Beavers and otters are sometimes misidentified because they are both aquatic mammals and look similar from a distance. Beavers are rodents. Otters are mustelids.

* Upon creating a Holy Dragon in ''{{Disgaea 3}}'', it'll take a moment to inform your other characters, that despite looking like a dog, it's indeed a dragon, after which it says [[HypocriticalHumor "woof"]].

* In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'', Raimundo refers to Dojo (who is a small dragon) as a gecko. Dojo is... not pleased, and shapeshifts into his larger form to intimidate him. This may be a reference to the ''{{Mulan}}'' example.

* ''SpongebobSquarepants''. This has happened to Sandy Cheeks a few times, especially in the episode "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy", where townsfolk mistake a naked Sandy for a ferret and even a goat among other things.

** It's true
* To this day since its release, people think Three Dog Night's ''Joy To The World'' is called "Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog," simply because it's the song's first line.

* In ''DigimonSavers'', Masaru's little sister calls Gaomon a dog, prompting him to point out "Would a dog wear boxing gloves?"

* ''TheLordOfTheRings'': Never call an Ent a "tree". Mocked by the {{Rifftrax}} of ''The Two Towers'' movie.

* The [[ViolentGlaswegian Nac Mac Feegles]] of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' also insist that they are not the generic "gnome", but "Pictsies". And [[SPellMyNAmeWithAnS the spelling is also important:]] They are not "pixies".
* In one scene in ''Wolf Speaker'', Daine is telepathically communicating with Tkaa, who then passes on her message to Numair, while riding in the mind of a marmot named Quickmunch. Later on in the conversation, Daine informs Numair that if he keeps on incorrectly identifying Quickmunch's species, the marmot will bite him.

* In the ''MythAdventures'' series, people from the dimension Perv are Pervects, not Perverts, and don't you forget it.

See MistakenNationality when it is happening with humans for ethnicities or nationalities, or MyNameIsNotDurwood when dealing with proper names, or IAmNotSpock when dealing with actors and their characters.

* At one point in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCyberChase'', [[ItMakesSenseInContext Fred attempts to bullfight a lion]]. At first he shouts, "Toro, toro!" which causes the lion to look around in confusion, as if to say "Bull? Where?". Fred thinks for a moment, then shouts, "Leo, leo![[hottip:*: ''Technically'', he should be saying "león", but eh, details]]"

-->'''Fish''': I'm a trout, stupid! [[hottip:*:The fish is actually a prop, and it's Max talking inside.]]

* Used in ''FanFic/TurnaboutStorm''; [[AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]] calls [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]] a "Talking Horse" shortly after first seeing her, she is quick to correct him (doubling as a small ComicallyMissingThePoint moment from Phoenix's perspective).

** He also mistook Rainbow Dash with an earth pony in another opportunity, she didn't take that one lightly. [[hottip:*:Ironically enough, Rainbow Dash's original incarnation was an earth pony, thus making this a MythologyGag of sorts.]]

-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' What the hay are you talking about!? I'm not an earth pony, I'm a pegasus!\\
** Before that however, it gets done to him. Fluttershy, as her name implies, does speak to anyone she doesn't know personally (preferring the company of animals), but immediately opens up to Wright upon learning his first name and assuming that [[ADogNamedDog that was his ''species'']].

-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' What the hay are you talking about!? I'm not an earth pony, I'm a pegasus!
*** Before that however, it gets done to him. Fluttershy, as her name implies, does speak to anyone she doesn't know personally (preferring the company of animals), but immediately opens up to Wright upon learning his first name and assuming that [[ADogNamedDog that was his ''species'']].

** In the season 8 premiere (''RevengeOfTheCreature''), Mike and the Bots are introduced to Professor Bobo. When Servo addresses him as "Mr. Orangutan", he angrily informs them that he is, in fact, a mountain gorilla.

** In the season 8 premiere (''RevengeOfTheCreature''), Mike and the Bots are introduced to a group of intelligent apes headed by Professor Bobo. When Servo addresses him as "Mr. Orangutan", he angrily informs them that he is, in fact, a mountain gorilla.

'''Crow:''' There is a big difference!

-->-- ''{{Mulan}}''

Trope name is a reference to ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' spinoff ''IAmWeasel''. Not to be confused with IAmNotShazam. Contrast this trope with its {{inversion}}, AssInALionSkin, for when an animal ''wants'' to be taken for another species.