History Main / IAmNotWeasel

* Happens to Misty in the dub of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'''s first season, when a [[WildChild kid]] [[RaisedByWolves raised by Kangaskhan]] mistakes her for a Pokémon, much to her chagrin (in the Japanese version, he asked about drinking from her breasts).

** On the same show, [[MeaningfulName Heffer]] is often referred to as a cow, and has to correct people that he's a steer. [[PlayingWithATrope In this case, it's not a distinction of species, but sex]]; "cow" is the word for a ''female'' bovine, even if it's sometimes used for the species as a whole. Technically, he should probably say he's a bull, because Heffer being a steer [[UnfortunateImplications would mean he was castrated]].

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': Rocket is [[IntelligentGerbil an alien that happens to look like a raccoon]]. Gamora repeatedly calls him a rodent[[note]]though about all a raccoon and a rat have in common is that they're placental mammals; raccoons are in the same order as dogs and cats. ''Humans'' are more closely related to rodents[[/note]], much to his annoyance. What's notable about Rocket is that in the comics, [[SpeciesSurname "Raccoon" is his surname]], but he's only known by the name [[OnlyOneName "Rocket"]] in the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]]. And because he's not from Earth, he doesn't know what a raccoon is and dislikes being called one.

* Buzz Buzz, an insect of indeterminate species who provides much of the exposition early on in ''Videogame/EarthBound'', introduces himself thus: "A bee I am... not..." Shortly afterward, Lardna Minch mistakes him for a dung beetle and squishes him.

* In ''Videogame/GranblueFantasy'', a common running gag is that Vyrn, the tiny flying dragon that always accompanies the player, is always referred to as a lizard by others to his frustration.

** Played straight in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'', where Clank from ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' calls Daxter a weasel creature. This seems to be Daxter's [[BerserkButton Berserk Button]], as it is what eventually leads to Jak and Ratchet battling.

* Max of ''Videogame/JaysJourney'' refers to Atolla, a man [[ForcedTransformation turned into a lion]], as a "talking kitty" throughout the game. Mind, [[TheDitz Max]] has [[MindRape his own issues]], but an NPC [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike makes the same mistake]], referring to Atolla as a "calico", to Jay's utter bewilderment.

* In ''Videogame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad'', a fisherman catches a giant fish:

* In ''Videogame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld'', the main characters are accompanied by a Centurion (a spirit-creature) named Tenebrae, who has a vaguely lupine appearence. When the party runs into [[TheDitz Collette]], a hero of the previous game, she promptly starts referring to Tenebrae as a "doggie", much to his annoyance. When he requests a name more appropriate of his power and dignity, he is instead titled "Mr. Doggie."
* In ''Videogame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd'', while playing a stage of ''Videogame/{{Crash Bandicoot|1996}}'', Nate keeps calling the main character a fox despite being corrected by Elena.

** [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Kyon]] once mistook [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Silver]] for, of all things, a parrot. Later [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Hohenheim]] mistakes him for a parakeet. And mind reading Pikadevil revealed that he believes that he is a hen. His being mistaken for a bird has become a Running Gag. And then the Lost Vikings came along, and mistook him for a platypus, a duck, a swallow, a goat, a cow, and an elephant of all things and later on, he learns that he's 1/16th bird.

** This happens twice in season 1's mini-arc where the ''Pteranodon'' family visit sea creatures. In "Carla Cretoxyrhina", when Don says they love meeting undersea dinosaurs, Carla clarifies that sharks are ''fish'' (note that this show usually has NoCartoonFish); and in "Paulie Pliosaurus", Buddy asks the titular character if he's dinosaur, but it turns out Paulie didn't even know what a dinosaur is.

** Rocko is typically mistaken for a beaver. He's also [[FurryConfusion mistaken for a dog]] once. As he's explained many times, he's a wallaby -- "Like a kangaroo, only smaller." He's even been mistaken for a ''platypus'' at one point.

* In ''Film/AMuppetFamilyChristmas'', Fozzie's mother keeps calling Kermit a lizard, no matter how many times he * From ''Series/MuppetsTonight'', Pepe is constantly telling people that he's a king prawn, not a shrimp.

corrects her.

* Played for horror in [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-953]]. Under no circumstances should one ever confuse her for a [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]]. She is a [[AnimalisticAbomination Kumiho]]. Despite her loathing of being confused for her distant, less homicidal kin, however, she happily exploits the confusion. It makes enthralling her victims easier.

** Yuuno often appears in weasel form, and is occasionally taken for a {{familiar}}. In reality, he's a shapeshifting mage.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin is called a fish by Judai, and replies that he is a mammal.

* In the ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' books by Brian Jacques, the heroic and generally weapon-ready hares absolutely cannot stand being referred to as rabbits. (Rabbits in the ''Redwall'' world tend to be quiet and passive [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]].)

* Max of ''Videogame/JaysJourney'' refers to Atolla, a man [[BalefulPolymorph turned into a lion]], as a "talking kitty" throughout the game. Mind, [[TheDitz Max]] has [[MindRape his own issues]], but an NPC [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike makes the same mistake]], referring to Atolla as a "calico", to Jay's utter bewilderment.

See MistakenEthnicity and MistakenNationality when it is happening with humans for ethnicities or nationalities respectively, or AccidentalMisnaming when dealing with proper names, or IAmNotSpock when dealing with actors and their characters. If it's the viewers that are confusing a character's species, then that's ViewerSpeciesConfusion.

* In ''[[VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'', the Djinn Erazor repeatedly calls Sonic a "blue rat", even when he was [[AndIMustScream sucked back inside of his lamp for the rest of eternity.]] And each time he did, Sonic repeatedly reminded him that he was a hedgehog, and not a rat. Sonic got the last word in that argument.
* In the Nintendo DS RPG ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', Shiki sewed herself a stuffed cat named "Mr. Mew", and she gets extremely angry when Neku (repeatedly) mistakes it for a pig. [[CallingYourAttacks "Go, Mr. Mew!"]] [[CombinationAttack "Get 'em, piggy!"]]

* Yuuki Terumi of ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' fame is prone to doing this as per his {{politically incorrect|Villain}} nature. In some instances, he calls the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent wolflike Valkenhayn]] house-dog names (Fido and Old Yeller, for example), and at the end of her CS Arcade run he calls Makoto a chipmunk. This is just the tip of his FantasticRacism, mind you...

* In ''Videogame/GranblueFantasy'', a common running gag is that Vyrn, the tiny flying dragon that always accompanies the player, is always referred to as a lizard by others to his frustration.
* In ''Videogame/LegoMarvelSuperheroes'' if you walk around in Manhattan as Spider-Man, a civilian will make the same gag as in WesternAnimation below by calling you "Insect Boy." And if you walk around as Doctor Octopus? He'll call you Professor Squid. (Though animal misidentification [[AccidentalMisnaming isn't his only problem]]; he also thinks Black Widow is Dark Window.)
* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', Morgana often objects to being considered a cat (or worse a {{Yokai}} like a Bake-Neko or "Monster Cat"), despite ''everything'' about him indicating as such including his own "Meow-varlous" puns, as despite his memory loss he's convinced [[WasOnceAMan he had to be human at some point given that he can talk at all]]. As it turns out, [[spoiler:he's actually a cognitive being that represents humanity's hope]].

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin is called a fish by Judai, and replies that he is a mammal.
* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Xiao May is thought to be a cat by everyone in Amestris, but she's really a tiny panda bear. Note that the Chinese word for panda literally means "bear-cat".

* A running gag in ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'': when someone first meets Doraemon, they think he's a tanuki. This makes Doraemon really mad since he's a robotic cat without ears, and on those occasions he literally spells out this trope by name. To the point that when he, Nobita, and Shizuka gets held captive by bird soldiers in the movie ''Nobita and the Winged Braves'', Doraemon cries in joy because the soldier correctly identified him as a cat.
* Fritz the Bitter Goblin in the ''Anime/DuelMasters'' dub gets very upset when he's called a squirrel.
* Happens to Misty in the dub of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'''s first season, when a [[WildChild kid]] [[RaisedByWolves raised by Kangaskhan]] mistakes her for a Pokémon, much to her chagrin (in the Japanese version, he asked about drinking from her breasts).
* Like Zafira above, Val of ''Anime/FairyMusketeers'' would like to remind us that he's a ''wolf'', not a dog. (Even if the domestic dog is ''still'' genetically a clear ''canis lupus'', that is, a wolf.)

* In ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'', Masaru's little sister calls Gaomon a dog, prompting him to point out "Would a dog wear boxing gloves?"
* ''Anime/SpaceDandy'''s Meow is very insistent on being called a Betelgeusian, and ''not'' a space cat. His catlike mannerisms don't exactly help his case.
* ''Anime/OnegaiMyMelody'', Baku the tapir is constantly mistaken for an eggplant, since he's purple.
* ''Anime/GatchamanCrowds'', Pai ''really'' doesn't like it pointed out that he resembles an adorable baby panda.
* Happens in ''Anime/TheNoozles'' when an elderly (and nearly blind) woman sees Blinky and freaks out, thinking he's a giant mole, which she's apparently afraid of. Blinky tries to explain to her that he's actually a koala, which just freaks her out even more, exclaiming "And it talks too!" And with that, she faints. It becomes a RunningGag for the remainder of the episode every time she encounters him.
* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Goku mistakes the cricket sprite Gregory for a grasshopper, much to the latter's annoyance.
* A quite literal example in ''Anime/BNABrandNewAnimal'': Marie Itami insists that she is ''not'' a weasel, she is a ''mink''!
** [[AssInALionSkin Inverted]] with main character Michiru Kagemori, who insists that she's a raccoon, not a tanuki. Everyone else is quick to point out, [[spoiler: even before she starts delving into magical shapeshifting ala mythical tanuki]], that she's obviously in denial. She's adamant about this due to hating tanukis when she used to be human.
* ''Manga/SetonAcademyJoinThePack'': Jin calls Ranka a dog, which offends her because she is a wolf. Due to his hatred of animals, Jin says he doesn't care and keeps calling her a dog.
* In ''Anime/Jewelpet2009'', it's a RunningGag that Aqua, a clownfish Jewelpet, keeps getting mistaken for a goldfish. He does ''not'' take kindly to this. (Ironically, his VerbalTic of saying "-gyo" at the end of every sentence derives from "kingyo", which is Japanese for "goldfish".)
** This trait still applies to him in ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle''. But in addition to it, whenever Labra (A polar bear Jewelpet) is in the human world, she is sometimes mistaken for a dog, or is called one by Akari to cover up the fact that she's a bear cub.
* Horus from ''Anime/OhSuddenlyEgyptianGod'' gets visibly upset whenever he's compared to a penguin (thanks to the chibi character designs).
* In the ''Manga/FairyTail X [[Manga/RaveMaster Rave]]'' crossover, Elie calls the talking cat Happy a bug, much to his annoyance.
* In ''Anime/{{Ojarumaru}}'', Kisuke is an oni, but looks enough like a chick that others tend to mistake him for that species, much to his dismay.
-->'''Kisuke:''' Kii-kun is not a chick, ppii!
* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Shirogane is a white cat [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent ayakashi]], but he's so plump that Reo thought he was some kind of pig, and he angrily correct her ("I'm a noble white cat!"). [[BrickJoke Much later]], [[spoiler:Yayo]] starts to gain the ability to see ayakashi, and identifies Shirogane's faint silhouette as "something that resembles a white piglet".

* Many ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'' fanfics use "crow" as BerserkButton for Diaval (who is a raven).

* In ''Fanfic/MyLittleMagesTheNightmaresReturn'', Spike is still a baby dragon but looks more like an iguana except for his coloring. He protests vehemently being called an iguana, though, despite the fact he can only do so through his PsychicLink with Twilight since he's too young to talk.

* In ''Fanfic/FallenAngel''. though she never tells it to his face, Amy thinks that Knuckles the echidna is an anteater.
* In the ''Manga/FairyTail'' fanfic ''[[Fanfic/AlternateTailSeries Fairy Tail: An Alternate Tail]]'', Pantherlily often corrects other that he is not a cat but rather an Exceed.

* In ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'', Jack Frost insults Bunnymund the Easter Bunny by calling him "the Easter kangaroo". A bit of LampshadeHanging here, since Bunnymund is played by Creator/HughJackman, who amps up the AwesomeAussie accent. Also note that Aussies would consider it an [[InsultToRocks insult to kangaroos]], rabbits being invasive pests down under.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'':
** There is some confusion when Mulan meets Mushu for the first time, hence the page quote. He's just not the size you'd expect for a dragon.
** Mushu himself calls Mulan's horse Khan a cow until the DarkestHour, where he accuses him of ''really'' being a sheep.

* Call Pumbaa from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' a pig only if you're in a ''real'' hurry to die. Simba and Timon can get away with it, though.
** Apparently he's okay with [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs "Mr. Pig"]], though.

* 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 given that he was in a Roman Colosseum-like virtual world at the time, shouting "leo" would have been more appropriate than "león", but eh, details [[/note]]

* Lampwick from ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' refers to Jiminy Cricket as a beetle just right before he turns into a donkey.
-->"You mean to tell me you take orders from a grasshopper?"
* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStoryOfTerror'', on the manager's board of toys to sell, Mr. Pricklepants, a hedgehog, is labeled as a "German beaver." Trixie, a Triceratops, is labeled as a "Stegosaurus."
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'', one of the thugs in Klugetown refers to Spike as a "gecko," which he takes offense to.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'': When Tantor first meets Tarzan, he thinks it's a piranha. Later, he says that Tarzan could be some subspecies of elephant, on the basis that both [[StockAnimalDiet enjoy a peanut]].

* From the ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' take on ''Film/{{Eegah}}'':
-->'''Roxy:''' I didn't say it was a monster! It's a giant!\\
'''Crow:''' There's a big difference!

* Obviously played for laughs in ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'' when the gopher steals Rodney Dangerfield's golfball as he's trying to sink a putt.
-->'''Al:''' That kangaroo stole my ball!
* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': Rocket is [[IntelligentGerbil an alien that happens to look like a raccoon]]. Gamora repeatedly calls him a rodent[[note]]though about all a raccoon and a rat have in common is that they're placental mammals; raccoons are in the same order as dogs and cats. ''Humans'' are more closely related to rodents[[/note]], much to his annoyance. What's notable about Rocket is that in the comics, [[SpeciesSurname "Raccoon" is his surname]], but he's only known by the name [[OnlyOneName "Rocket"]] in the [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse MCU]]. And because he's not from Earth, he doesn't know what a raccoon is and dislikes being called one.
** People calling him various animals becomes a bit of a RunningGag in [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 the sequel]]. Peter calls him a trash panda, [[spoiler:Ego]] calls him a triangle-faced monkey, Nebula calls him a fox, Yondu calls him a rat, and Mantis calls him a crabby puppy.
** The gag continues in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', with Thor calling him a rabbit throughout the film. Initially confused, Rocket doesn't seem to mind that shortly after.
** Continued further as ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' reveals that ''all'' Asgardians apparently think raccoons are rabbits.
* The Creator/EddieMurphy ''Film/DrDolittle'' has a RunningGag with Dolittle referring to his daughter Maya's pet guinea pig, Rodney, as a "rat" or a "guinea rat."
-->'''Dr. Dolittle''': Whatever; they're both rodents. I'll find your rodent; I'll put down some of that sticky paper for him.
-->'''Maya''': No, not that!
-->'''Dr. Dolittle''': It'll be fine; you peel him right off it, and he'll live.

* A minor RunningGag in ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' is that the Dude and Walter will often misidentify animals (Walter's ex-wife's dog is not a Pomeranian, and a pet ferret is not a marmot), though this being a relatively realistic movie with no {{talking animal}}s, the creatures in question do not take offense.

* In the ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' books by Brian Jacques, the heroic and generally weapon-ready hares absolutely cannot stand being referred to as rabbits. (Rabbits in the ''Redwall'' world tend to be quiet and passive [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]].)
* ''Literature/{{Endling}}'': Byx is a dairne, a species which resemble bipedal dogs. However, she dislikes being called a dog, as she is not one.
--> '''Byx''': Let me make clear: I am not a dog.
--> '''Khara''': Yes, I know. If you were a dog, I wouldn't be debating this with you.

* In one scene in ''[[Literature/TortallUniverse 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 ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series, people from the dimension Perv are Pervects, not Perverts, and don't you forget it.

* In the ''Literature/ApprenticeAdept'' books, the unicorn Clip explains that black or brown unicorns are considered inferior because they look like a horse, and it is even worse if you actually compare them to a horse. Unicorns don't always enjoy knowing that their ancestors are horses, and Clip points out that it's just like how humans don't always enjoy knowing that their ancestors are apes.
* In the ''Literature/TheBadGuys'' books, Mr. Piranha is constantly mistaken as a "mutant sardine" by the news, much to his extreme irritation.
* ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': Eddie Trevelyan, who's working on Polly Duncan's house in book #17 (''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle''), refers to Koko as a weasel a couple of times. There are also a couple other instances in which Koko and Yum Yum are mistaken for animals other than cats, due to the somewhat unusual appearance of Siamese in comparison with the types of cats people are used to, particularly at a distance.

* In Colombian series "El Show de Perico", Amanda is a tapir who is often mistaken for another animal, and she angrily points out that she is not that animal but a tapir.
* Data, on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', would occasionally correct people that he is an android, not a robot.
* A RunningGag in ''Series/{{Pixelface}}'' is that visitors to the console, such as Alexia's parent, keeping thinking that Rex is somebody's pet; usually mistaking him for some kind of dog.

* From ''Series/MuppetsTonight'', Pepe is constantly telling people that he's a king prawn, not a shrimp.

* In ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'', Neville (John Cleese) mistook Kermit for a lizard, but then again, he also thought Miss Piggy was male. Later on, a girl confuses Kermit for a bear before her father corrects her (bears wear hats).
* In ''Film/AMuppetFamilyChristmas'', Fozzie's mother keeps calling Kermit a lizard, no matter how many times he corrects her.

** This trait still applies to him in ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle''. But in addition to it, whenever Labra (A polar bear Jewelpet) is in the human world, she is sometimes mistaken for a dog.

** It's also a RunningGag that Shippo is constantly mistaken for a {{tanuki}} or a squirrel, leading to him saying "I'm a {{kitsune}}!" (i.e. a fox).

* Played for horror in [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-953]]. Under no circumstances should one ever confuse her for a {{Kitsune}}. She is a [[AnimalisticAbomination Kumiho]]. Despite her loathing of being confused for her distant, less homicidal kin, however, she happily exploits the confusion. It makes enthralling her victims easier.

** This trait still aplys to him in ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle''. But in addition to it, whenever Labra (A polar bear Jewelpet) is in the human world, she is sometimes mistaken for a dog.

** Likewise, in ''Anime/JewelpetTwinkle'', when Labra (A polar bear Jewelpet) is in the human world, she is sometimes mistaken for a dog.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'': Subtly done when a leopard protester is told to "Go back to the forest!", but replies that she's from the savanna. Presumably, the bigot meant the rainforest, in which case he's mistaken her for a jaguar.

'''Mushu:''' Hey, dragon, ''dragon''! Not lizard. [[TemptingFate I don't do that tongue thing.]] ''[Does that tongue thing.]''

** ''Film/EscapeFromThePlanetOfTheApes''. Cornelius tells the commission not to call him and Zira monkeys because it's offensive to them. Zira, ever the PoliticallyIncorrectHero, is also extremely insistent that chimpanzees and gorillas (who she [[FantasticRacism has something against]]) are not the same thing. When an orderly refers to [[spoiler: Zira's unborn son as a "little monkey", it hits the BerserkButton of an already-very-stressed-out Cornelius, who accidentally kills the guy in a violent outburst.]]

* A minor RunningGag in ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' is that the Dude and Walter will often misidentify animals (Walter's ex-wife's dog is not a Pomeranian, and a ferret is not a marmot), though this being a relatively realistic movie with not {{talking animal}}s, the creatures in question do not take offense.