History Main / PrimalPolymorphs

The simplicity of the shapeshifter's lifestyle depends on the portrayal. In some cases, it's just a tradition that they don't have to abide by at all times, returning to a life in the wilderness only on special occasions. Other such shapeshifters may live full-time in small villages and camps far from advanced technology, either by preference or by necessity. Others still may lack human social skills or sport [[MyInstinctsAreShowing animalistic behaviors]]; some may even live alone in the wilderness, living so simply they may be mistaken for animals even when in human form... and a few literally ''are'' animals, either from birth or by accident - TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody, after all.

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[[folder: Anime]]
* ''Anime/WolfChildren'': Ame, one of the two titular wolf children, doesn't connect to human life and feels much more comfortable in nature in his wolf form. While his sister Yuki tries to adapt to human society, Ame begins embracing his wolf side, especially after he is mentored by an elderly fox. [[spoiler:The fox dies, and Ame takes his place as ruler of the forest. His mother Hana accepts he's found his calling.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Audio Plays]]

** Downplayed in "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho014TheHolyTerror The Holy Terror]]," in which Frobisher has picked up some behavioural quirks from his adopted ShapeshifterDefaultForm, hunting fish in much the same way as a real penguin would - even though, as the Doctor points out, he shouldn't even ''need'' to go hunting since the TARDIS is stocked to the gills with tinned tuna. Unfortunately, this leads to Frobisher misusing the console controls to create a hologram fish that he can hunt - whereupon the TARDIS goes on strike in protest, kicking off the events of the episode.
** Zig-zagged in "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho020LoupsGaroux Loups Garoux]]." The werewolves don't mind using modern technology like trains, but only a few of them are entirely comfortable living in cities, to the point that their preferred meeting grounds is a ranch in the desert. By contrast, their ancient forefather [[MonsterProgenitor Pieter Stubbe]] despises humans for destroying the old forests, will only use technology by psychically forcing humans to operate it for him, and is gleefully devoted to [[EvilReactionary restoring the old status quo of werewolves ruling over humans as apex predators]]. When he takes over the De Santos pack, [[TheCorruptor his mental influence]] quickly reduces the civilized werewolves to a pack of frenzied monsters that he uses to conquer Rio de Janeiro in the space of a single evening.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder: Film - Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/Nimona2023'': The title character is a relentlessly chaotic PerpetuallyProtean ShapeshiftingTrickster who operates almost exclusively through spur-of-the-moment decisions - though on the upside, her more primal viewpoint allows her to understand things that more civilized individuals have trouble accepting. It's eventually revealed that she used to live almost exclusively as an animal in search of companionship before she finally took human form and introduced herself to the human being she wanted to befriend. [[spoiler: Said human was none other than Gloreth, the founder of the Institute a thousand years prior to the events of the movie.]]

[[folder: Film - Live-Action]]

* ''Film/Underworld2003''
** Downplayed in the case of the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Lycans]]; they're definitely WorkingClassWerewolves, occasionally growl in anger, and aren't above the occasional fight for entertainment - prompting Lucian to yell at his underlings for acting like "a pack of rabid dogs" - but otherwise remain largely non-animalistic. They even have a MadScientist in their ranks. Most of their true sophistication is [[FantasticRacism ignored]] by [[FurAgainstFang their vampire enemies]], who believe that the Lycans aren't smart enough to have developed their own UV bullets and assume that the only reason why Lycans would stalk a human would be for food.

* ''Film/TheWitch'': The [[WickedWitch eponymous villain]] is capable of numerous feats of shapeshifting alongside her usual magic, being first encountered by William and Caleb while in the form of a hare, later uses the shape of a beautiful young woman to lure in Caleb, and it's implied that she's been sneaking around the farm in other forms. She also lives exclusively in the forest, preys on animal carcasses like a beast, is often covered in blood and filth, [[SinisterNudity and is usually naked in her true form]]. As such, she's set up as a direct contrast with the Puritan family, who desperately cling to civilization and fear the wilderness even before the Witch shows up. [[spoiler: She's actually part of an entire coven of forest-dwelling witches, all of whom are depicted naked and feral.]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* In ''Camouflage'' by Creator/JoeHaldeman, the shapeshifting alien known as the Changeling has spent so many thousands of years away from its advanced technology, [[TheFogOfAges it's forgotten its old identity]] and regressed to an almost animalistic level of intelligence. By the start of the novel the Changeling has existed solely in the form of various animals - up until it encounters a surfer one day and decides to be human for a change. As such, the Changeling's first attempts at blending in are ''very'' crude, leading to [[BlueAndOrangeMorality numerous criminal misunderstandings]] before it finally learns the rules. Subverted in the case of the Chameleon, the ''other'' shapeshifting alien of the story, who is an expert in {{Humanshifting}} and has learned [[VillainsBlendInBetter to blend in much more effectively than his semi-heroic counterpart]].

* In Creator/AdrianTchaikovsky's ''Echoes Of The Fall'' series, the various tribes are all capable of shapeshifting into the animal they revere, with a few unique individuals known as Champions capable of assuming an additional form or two. Given that the highest level of technology in the setting seems to be somewhere around the early Iron Age, most cultures in the setting tend to live in small villages close to nature, with the exception of the more urban Crocodile tribe. In particular, tribes who survive through marauding like [[SavageWolves the Wolf]] and [[MaliciousMonitorLizard the Dragon]] style themselves as natural predators in their attacks on less aggressive tribes.

* ''Literature/TheHobbit'': Beorn is AmbiguouslyHuman - either a man who becomes a bear or a bear who becomes a man. He lives alone, off the land, mostly subsiding on honey while lovingly treating his ponies and other animals like his children. He tolerates visitors but prefers solitude in the wilderness... and when provoked, he's not above shifting to his black bear form and killing anyone who dares to threaten himself or his animal friends.

** [[MonsterLord Darklord Amon, King of the Lykes]], is a master shapeshifter who can transform in ways that his underlings can only dream of - even appearing PerpetuallyProtean when undisguised. He's also a strict traditionalist, living in the Wyldwood, hosting the Wild Hunt, and generally disapproving of more overtly modified Lykes... though upon finding that Matt Richter took out two cyborg Lykes, Amon is angry enough to [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame extend the Wild Hunt to Matt and Devona]].

* "Shape" [[note]] also known as "Keep Your Shape"[[/note]] by Creator/RobertSheckley features a race of {{Voluntary Shapeshifter}}s with a strict FantasticCasteSystem that restricts them to a single shape. They've been trying to conquer Earth by sending scouts to create a portal between the two planets, but they've all vanished without a trace. In the climax, it turns out the scouts haven't been hunted down by humans as the [[VillainProtagonist scout commander]] believes, but have all gone native, preferring the freedom to choose their shape to the restrictions their culture demands... and most of them are living as animals or even plants on a long-term basis. By the end of the story, the latest team have all gone the same way.

** The Pulra are another blob-like race of shapeshifters that enjoy merging with each other, even with other species - to the extent that some think they might be willing to become prosthetic organs. However, they prefer to live in insect-like colonies in the wild, and though they can understand technology like space travel, they don't appear interested in using it.
** Implied in the case of the Shi'ido. Arguably the most powerful shapeshifting race in the galaxy, they are so [[InvisibleIntrovert introverted]] and [[EminentlyEnigmaticRace secretive]] that many explorers are convinced that their [[ParadisePlanet rainforest homeworld of Lao-Mon]] is uninhabited, especially since there are no settlements nor signs of technology on the entire planet. As such, unless there's some vast underground city that no previous explorers have been able to detect, Shi'ido live in the wild, using their abilities to make themselves comfortable without the use of technology. However, they're not opposed to the ''use'' of technology, as many of them have left the planet and have made a living in mainstream galactic society - the most famous of them being [[Literature/GalaxyOfFear Senior Anthropologist Hoole]].

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

** "[[Recap/GrimmS1E7LetYourHairDown Let Your Hair Down]]" features a Blutbaden teenager by the name of Holly Clark living a [[WildChild feral existence]] in the woods, almost incapable of speech and even using her hair as a noose against intruders in her territory. It's revealed that she was abducted by a neighbor when she was young and escaped into the woods when [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening she "fanged out" for the first time]], ultimately staying there in a state of confusion over what she'd become. Thankfully, Nick and Monroe are able to get through her and the episode ends with Holly being reunited with her mother - and helping to [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty bring her abductor to justice]].

** Played with in the case of the Changelings. They're a HigherTechSpecies, but they don't seem to actually like ''using'' technology themselves, preferring to leave that to their allies while they spend their time on their wild homeworld as the "Great Link", an AlienSea consisting of billions of shapeshifters in their natural liquid state, united as collective HiveMind and living in a state of [[TransformationExhilaration constant euphoria]]. Changelings generally only take independent form if they absolutely have to - for example, [[spoiler: if there's a problem their genetically engineered Vorta minions and Jem'Hadar troops can't handle themselves, hence why nobody knows that the Founders of [[TheEmpire the Dominion]] are all Changelings until the events of "The Search."]]

[[folder: Mythology]]
* Myth/CelticMythology: In Irish mythology, the druid Fintan Mac Bochra was one of the first men to settle Ireland, [[note]]And in the company of a granddaughter of Noah, at least in later versions of the story retold by Christians; in the original myth, she's just Cessair, Fintan's wife (lineage unknown)[[/note]], and is on record as preferring nature to the company of other human beings - to the point of jumping into a river rather than spend another minute in the company of the fifty women who'd taken the journey with him [[note]]In many versions of the story, the only other surviving male settlers had [[OutWithABang died of exhaustion while trying to impregnate said women]], and Fintan didn't want to end up getting stuck satisfying their needs as well[[/note]], and later living alone in a mountaintop cave where nobody could find him. Fintan also demonstrated numerous shapeshifting powers[[note]]learned by [[SpeaksFluentAnimal speaking with animals]], at least in some versions of the story[[/note]]: surviving a flood [[note]]In the Christianized version of the story, it's actually the ''Biblical'' Flood[[/note]] by becoming a salmon, he remained that way for over a year before becoming an eagle, then a hawk, before finally reverting to human form - eventually going on to become an advisor to the kings of Ireland for [[ShapeshifterLongevity the next five thousand years]].

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

** One of the hardline Verbena sects, the Lifeweavers, take the Tradition's worship of nature and shapeshifting to its logical conclusion: they prefer to live solitary lives in the wild, tend to [[PosthumanNudism go completely naked]], dislike most forms of civilization, are stereotyped (wrongly) as animalistic to the point of madness... and of course, they spend vast amounts of time in other forms, [[SenseFreak obsessively experiencing life]] as wolves, eagles, insects, even ''[[{{Transflormation}} trees]].'' Even the ones who visit cities - like the "Shapeshifter" character template - do so only as chameleonic drifters, adopting multiple identities just to know what it'd be like to experience the "modern wilderness" as a different age, sex, or race.

* ''[[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness Midnight Circus]]'':
** Enforced in the case of Dimitri Babinov, an Ursine-born Gurahl - or at least he ''was'' a Gurahl until he was captured and press-ganged into [[MonsterClown Koba's Clown Show]]. A combination of Koba's Wyrm-given powers and the entropic influence of the [[CircusOfFear Midnight Circus]] itself has gradually worn down Babinov's consciousness until he's been reduced to non-sapience, [[NightmareOfNormality believing himself to be nothing more than a tame bear]].
** The [[BlobMonster Tab of Flesh]] is a liquefied Nosferatu [[UndeadChild child-vampire]] capable of semi-voluntary shapeshifting, but thanks to [[TraumaCongaLine all the traumas he's suffered over the course of his unlife]], he's been reduced to an almost bestial level of existence on the fringes of the Circus. He's still intelligent enough to [[WouldNotHurtAChild refuse child victims]], but compulsively hides himself from view, instinctively shies away from light, cannot speak coherently, and is treated as little more than a guard dog by his masters.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' 2nd edition: The Primal spell list (mostly used by Druids, but also by some Sorcerers and Witches) has more polymorph spells than the other lists, including [[{{Animorphism}} Animal Form]], Dinosaur Form, and [[ScaledUp Dragon Form]]. Druids of the Wild Order also get the Wild Shape focus spell, which doesn't use spell slots.

** Efrain Sortano (AKA the Zookeeper) of ''Mexico City By Night'' is a surprising case of this, given the Tzimisce clan's reputation for [[ClassicalMovieVampire Old World nobility]] and [[ProudScholarRace scholarly pursuits]]. One of the few non-Gangrel to have learned Protean, his mastery of both the Discipline and Vicissitude allows him to become almost any animal imaginable. These days, he prefers to live exclusively in animal form and doesn't even remember what he looked like in life; in fact, he's so enamored with animal life that his territory is the zoo in Chapultepec Park - hence his alias.
** In the ''Gehenna'' scenario "Fair Is Foul," one of the seven Apostates serving Lilith is a master shapeshifter by the name of Ikopabe. Believed to be either a Gangrel Methuselah, the forefather of the Akunanse legacy, or even the MonsterProgenitor of the Laibon, he's not only mastered Protean but an African shapeshifting Discipline, Abombwe. And as his profile reveals, he's ''very'' primal: he loves to hunt, struggles to comprehend lying, abides by a strict code of honour, and almost never speaks... and when he does, it's in an ancient African dialect that only Lilith and the other Apostates are [[TimeAbyss old enough to remember]].
** Ennoia, the Gangrel Antediluvian. Even before she was Embraced, she is said to have grown up as a WildChild abandoned by her mother and literally RaisedByWolves (at least in one version of the story). As a vampire, she is often depicted as a wild and sometimes even monstrous figure made all the more ominous for being the undisputed master of Protean. Taken to the logical conclusion in the ''Gehenna'' scenario "The Crucible Of God," in which Ennoia has gained such mastery in Protean that she manifests entirely as ''the ground beneath people's feet...'' and she's so alien and so ''hungry'' that she can't even operate on a vaguely human level, instead simply levelling cities with Protean so she can feast on the vampires inside.
* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'':

** Dryads are {{Nature Spirit}}s that take the form of ambulatory plant-people and are capable of shapeshifting into various forms for both subterfuge and combat: they like using their powers to pose as beautiful women so they can lure in prey, but once the target gets close enough, they take on the aspect of a tree that can allow them to most effectively overcome their opponent - birch for stabbing, oak for resilience, willow for throttling. For good measure, they're just as technophobic and xenophobic as the rest of the Wood Elf army... but take it to another level altogether by hating ''even their Wood Elf allies'' for invading their forest.

** Subverted in the case of the [[WorkingClassWerewolves Bone Gnawer]] and the [[TheMafia Glass Walker]] tribes, both of whom prefer urban environments and - in the latter case - surrounding themselves with technology, much to the aggravation of their more traditionalist brethren in other tribes.

[[folder: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/Diablo2'': The {{druid}} class has the ability to turn into a werewolf (for greater speed and agility) or werebear (for greater strength and stamina).
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins:''
** The shapeshifting mages [[WickedWitch Flemeth]] and [[LadyOfBlackMagic Morrigan]] live in a tiny hut in the swamps of the Korcari Wilds, dress in crude homespun robes, and are occasionally mistaken for Chasind folk by the more "civilized" peoples to the north. At least part of this is due to their need to avoid [[AntiMagicalFaction the Templars]], though it's clear that the two just don't like people - to the point that Flemeth made a game out of [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunting down Templars intruding on her swamp]]. Meanwhile, Morrigan strongly dislikes handshakes, [[NoSocialSkills lacks social skills]], disapproves of the controlled lives of loyalist mages, and prior to joining the Warden's team, she preferred to observe others from a distance as an animal... unless she felt like stealing something shiny.
** The Werewolves of the Brecillian Forest prefer to gather in packs and live as animals, even though they retain their minds and can still speak - though only their leader [[MonsterProgenitor Witherfang]] can still assume a humanoid form. For good measure, they generally come across as animalistic and consumed with rage, refusing to negotiate with the Dalish Elves to the point of waging a war of annihilation against them. [[spoiler: This is because the Dalish leader Zathrian is directly responsible for transforming them into werewolves and using them to make himself immortal.]]

* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': Taking part in the Genoharadan missions will eventually result in you being sent after [[ShapeshiftingTrickster Rulan Prolik]], an assassin and master shapeshifter. Though Hulas fears that he may eventually move to Coruscant and endanger the Senate, Rulan seems content to enjoy his off-hours on wilder planets, amusing himself by hunting the local megafauna while armed with nothing but his own powers. His current stomping grounds are the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, where he's more than willing to indulge in HuntingTheMostDangerousGame when sapient beings stray into his turf, toying with his victims like a cat before slaughtering them in a horrifically animalistic fashion - to the point that the local Wookies view Rulan as some kind of EldritchAbomination.

** In "Who Horrifies The Horrors?" werewolves are sent [[HorrifyingTheHorror fleeing in terror]] from a shapeshifting monster known as the Dark Woods Horror. On top of being more powerful than the werewolves, it's little more than a rampaging beast incapable of reasoning and driven to brutally slaughter everything in its path. [[spoiler: It's the result of the Orochi Group's experiments in spreading lycanthropy to children, allowing them greater shapeshifting powers than true werewolves - but also driving them incurably rabid.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Warcraft}}'':

[[folder: Western Animation]]

** In "[[Recap/LoveDeathAndRobotsGoodHunting Good Hunting]]," the ''[[AsianFoxSpirit huli jing]]'' are essentially sapient super-agile foxes in their true forms; they live in forests and under rocks, maintain fox-like hunting tendencies, and can be very casual about being nude even while disguised as human beings. Unfortunately, the British occupation and industrialization of China results in ''huli jing'' like Yan [[TheMagicGoesAway losing their powers]], leaving her trapped in a human form full-time, unable to support herself except through prostitution. [[spoiler: However, after Yan suffers UnwillingRobotization at the hands of the Governor, Liang is able to use his mastery of technology to remake her as a ShapeshiftingMecha, allowing her to resume her hunts - this time preying upon British rapists.]]
** A major plot point in "[[Recap/LoveDeathAndRobotsShapeShifters Shapeshifters]]." [[spoiler: [[WorkingClassWerewolves Decker]] starts out abiding by protocol, maintaining only a few animalistic habits like travelling barefoot and occasionally voicing misgivings of the human marines' dependence on technology. However, after Sobieski is killed, Decker disobeys orders and hunts down the enemy werewolf responsible - naked and using the full extent of his powers. Once he's done, he buries Sobieski with a farewell of "see you in the wild," before deserting the marines out of disgust for their FantasticRacism, instead opting to live alone in the deserts of Afghanistan from then on.]]

* ''Franchise/WarCraft'':
** ''VideoGame/Warcraft3'': The nature-attuned Night Elves have two shapeshifters among their ranks: the Druid of the Claw and Druid of the Talon, who can turn into a bear and a bird respectively.

* In ''Camouflage'' by Creator/JoeHaldeman, the shapeshifting alien known as the Changeling has spent the last few million years taking the form of various animals and thinking on a very simple level - up until they encounter a surfer one day and decide to be human for a change. As such, the Changeling's first attempts at blending in are ''very'' crude, leading to [[BlueAndOrangeMorality numerous criminal misunderstandings]] before they finally learn the rules. Subverted in the case of the Chameleon, the ''other'' shapeshifting alien of the story, who is an expert in {{Humanshifting}} and has learned [[VillainsBlendInBetter to blend in much more effectively than his semi-heroic counterpart]].

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' 2nd edition: The Primal spell list (mostly used by Druids, but also by some Sorcerers and Witches) has more polymorph spells than the other lists, including [[{{Animorphism}} Animal Form]], [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs Dinosaur Form]], and [[ScaledUp Dragon Form]]. Druids of the Wild Order also get the Wild Shape focus spell, which doesn't use spell slots.

* Amethyst of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUnivers'' is fond of shapeshifting more than the other Crystal Gems and while pretty civilized is characterized as very impulsive, irreverent and hedonistic compared to them. Most specifically, even though gems [[TheNeedless have no physical needs]] she indulges in things like sleep and eating with gusto, even eating things [[ExtremeOmnivore that aren't food]]. Her backstory also reveals that she was found in an abandoned site, essentially a WildChild, and shapeshifted to mimic the forms of whoever she interacted with.

* Myth/CelticMythology: In Irish mythology, the druid Fintan Mac Bochra was a druid and one of the first men to settle Ireland, [[note]]And in the company of a granddaughter of Noah, at least in later versions of the story retold by Christians; in the original myth, she's just Cessair, Fintan's wife (lineage unknown)[[/note]], and is on record as preferring nature to the company of other human beings - to the point of jumping into a river rather than spend another minute in the company of the fifty women who'd taken the journey with him [[note]]In many versions of the story, the only other surviving male settlers had [[OutWithABang died of exhaustion while trying to impregnate said women]], and Fintan didn't want to end up getting stuck satisfying their needs as well[[/note]], and later living alone in a mountaintop cave where nobody could find him. Fintan also demonstrated numerous shapeshifting powers[[note]]learned by [[SpeaksFluentAnimal speaking with animals]], at least in some versions of the story[[/note]]: surviving a flood [[note]]In the Christianized version of the story, it's actually the ''Biblical'' Flood[[/note]] by becoming a salmon, he remained that way for over a year before becoming an eagle, then a hawk, before finally reverting to human form - eventually going on to become an advisor to the kings of Ireland for [[ShapeshifterLongevity the next five thousand years]].

[[folder: Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/ChoicesStoriesYouPlay'':
** ''VisualNovel/{{Nightbound}}'': Cal, one of Alex's potential love interests is a werewolf and can assume that form.
** ''VisualNovel/WolfBride'': Another werewolf story, all werewolves can assume this form, including the protagonist Selene and Morgan, one of the potential love interests.
[[/folder]]

** Zig-zagged in the case of Cucuvea. A mystic known mainly for her ability to transform herself into an owl, she lives the life of a SolitarySorceress under a tree in rural Transylvania, wears clothes made from leaves, makes tea out of bark, and dislikes modern technology. Plus, she only ever leaves in owl form. However, it turns out the reason she dislikes modern tech is because she's [[[TimeAbyss old enough]] to remember the impossibly advanced MagiTek of the Third Age and finds 20th-century computers and cameras primitive by comparison.

* ''Series/{{Grimm}}:''
** Downplayed in the case of several Wesen breeds; though species like the [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Blutbaden]] and the [[BearsAreBadNews Jagerbar]] have animalistic instincts that may require them to the mark their territory and may abide by traditions requiring them to hunt in the wild, they have no problem with living in urban environments. Blutbaden main character Monroe occasionally indulges in a few of these rituals, even helping out in a traditional coming-of-age ceremony for young Wesen at one point, but still spends the rest of his time as a mild-mannered suburban clockmaker.
** "[[Recap/GrimmS1E7LetYourHairDown Let Your Hair Down]]" features a Blutbaden teenager by the name of Holly Clark living a [[WildChild feral existence]] in the woods, almost incapable of speech and even using her hair as a noose against intruders in her territory. It's revealed that she was abducted by a neighbor when she was young and escaped into the woods when [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening she "fanged out" for the first time]], ultimately staying there in a state of confusion over what she'd become. Thankfully, Nick and Monroe are able to get through her and the episode ends with Holly being reunited with her mother - and helping to [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty bring her abductor to justice]].

** [[FeralVampires The Gangrel clan]] not only possess a clan-unique Discipline of Protean, allowing them to shapeshift into wolves, bats, mist, earth, and even fire, but they're also the most animalistic of the thirteen clans. Solitary, territorial, and individualistic, they're one of the few clans that are comfortable outside cities and are even in the habit of [[SinkOrSwimMentor abandoning their newly Embraced childer in the wilderness]] as a rite of passage to test their survival skills.

* ''Literature/TheHobbit'': Beorn is AmbiguouslyHuman - either a man who becomes a bear, or a bear who becomes a man. He lives alone, off the land, mostly subsiding on honey while lovingly treating his ponies and other animals like his children. He tolerates visitors but prefers solitude in the wilderness... and when provoked, he's not above shifting to his black bear form and killing anyone who dares to threaten himself or his animal friends.

** The Pulra are another blob-like race of shapeshifters that enjoying merging with each other, even with other species - to the extent that some think they might be willing to become prosthetic organs. However, they prefer to live in insect-like colonies in the wild, and though they can understand technology like space travel, they don't appear interested in using it.

** Downplayed by Haywood. He's human but spent thirty years under a curse that turned him into an otter. He says he got used to life as an animal relatively quickly, and by the time he's turned back, he's spent ''much'' more of his life as an otter than a man. While he's able to return to human society thanks to his friends, he doesn't do well in crowds, and prefers a very simple life away from most people.

** The Red Talons tribe take this tendency to its logical conclusion: they're so opposed to human influence that they tolerate no Homid members whatsoever, and quite a few of them would [[EvilReactionary gladly see a return to the days of the Impergium]] in which the Garou regularly culled humanity through brutal attacks.

** Zig-zagged in the case of Cucuvea. A mystic known mainly for her ability to transform herself into an owl, she lives the life of a SolitarySorceress under a tree in rural Transylvania, wears clothes made from leaves, makes tea out of bark, and dislikes modern technology. Plus, she only ever leaves in owl form. However, it turns out the reason she dislikes modern tech is because she's [[[TimeAbyss old enough]] to remember the impossibly advanced MagiTek of the Third Age and finds 20th century computers and cameras primitive by comparison.

** ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': The {{Druid}} class, available for the less civilized, more primal races such as night elves, tauren and trolls, as well as the werewolf-like worgen, have several shapeshifting options: a Cat form for great agility, a Bear form for great strength, a cheetah-like Travel form, a seal-like Aquatic form and a bird-like Flying form for fast travel on land, water and air, and Treant and owlbear-like Moonkin forms for improved spellcasting. MorphicResonance is at play, as the beast form retains some of the druid's racial features (pointy ears and purplish color for nigh elves, horns for tauren, tusks for trolls, etc.).

[[/folder]]

The simplicity of the shapeshifter's lifestyle depends on the portrayal. In some cases, it's just a tradition that they don't have abide by at all times, returning to a life in the wilderness only on special occasions. Other such shapeshifters may live full-time in small villages and camps far from advanced technology, either by preference or by necessity. Others still may lack human social skills or sport [[MyInstinctsAreShowing animalistic behaviors]]; some may even live alone in the wilderness, living so simply they may be mistaken for animals even when in human form... and a few literally ''are'' animals, either from birth or by accident - TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody, after all.

[[folder: Film - Live Action]]