History Main / SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism

* '''PartiallyCivilizedAnimal''': This is the intermediary stage between the NearlyNormalAnimal / SpeechImpairedAnimal / TalkingAnimal level (animals who are still unarguably animals, and have mostly animal behavior) and the CivilizedAnimal level. Generally, the majority of the mannerisms are that of the animal. Examples include the cats and dogs of, well, ''Film/CatsAndDogs'' and the owls of the ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheGuardiansTheOwlsOfGaHoole''.

* '''TheReptilians''': They can be anything from RubberForeheadAliens to stranger variations of HumanoidAliens, usually straddling the line right here between humanoid and animalistic. They are obviously based on a group of terrestrial animals, but they tend to follow a set of traits that have no specific parallel among Earth creatures. For example, the [[Recap/StarTrekS1E18Arena Gorn]] -- and [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant no, it's not]] '''that''' kind of {{Gorn}}.

[[caption-width-right:133:Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan, FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Anubis]], ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

* '''SpeechImpairedAnimal''': An animal who can't quite talk (at least not without heavy quirks), but is definitely of above-animal intelligence and usually capable of relatively efficient communication. There can and often will be misunderstandings. Like {{Talking Animal}}s, they may occasionally act more human-like if the need (and RuleOfFunny / RuleOfCool) calls for it. Franchise/ScoobyDoo is practically the TropeMaker. Franchise/{{Pokemon}} and other creature that "speak" to humans in nonhuman languages also fit here.

{{Beast Fable}}s feature animals that range from{{Nearly Normal Animal}}s, to {{Funny Animal}}s. These are OlderThanDirt, which means, in the oldest versions, it's hard to tell if the original teller saw actual animals as equal to people, or saw them as humanoid versions of animals; a character may behave as a human one minute and a TalkingAnimal the next.

{{Beast Fable}}s feature animals that range somewhere between {{Nearly Normal Animal}}s, to {{Funny Animal}}s. These are OlderThanDirt, which means, in the oldest versions, it's hard to tell if the original teller saw actual animals as equal to people, or saw them as humanoid versions of animals; a character may behave as a human one minute and a TalkingAnimal the next.

* '''{{Sapient Tank}}s and {{Sapient Ship}}s''': The very edge of what is usually allotted sentience, these are robots and machines that are built very clearly as ''machines'', sometimes being little more than boxes on threads, and oftentimes being vehicles with integrated AIs. Intellect ranges all over the scale, from being smarter than humans to being little more than glorified attack drones, [[XenoFiction but their unique circumstances tend to make them difficult to relate with humanity]], at least from a physical perspective.

[[quoteright:134:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scale_of_animal_humans.png]]
[[caption-width-right:134: Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan, FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Anubis]], ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

* '''FunnyAnimal''': This is where we hit characters who could be human, but aren't. Like BeastMan above FurriesAreEasierToDraw might be the reason, but it's more often because animals appeal to the target audience more, the writers are exploring a WhatIf scenario on how a {{world|OfFunnyAnimals}} might be different from ours, or to have social commentary that isn't too on the nose. Most, or even all, of their mannerisms are that of a human: Imagine if your pet does everything you do - eating, talking, cooking, sleeping, working - and you should get the idea. MickeyMouse is a terrific example. He is a character who is so humanized you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics. As there can be some confusion between this and BeastMan above, ask yourself this question: ''Are they considered to be a cat/dog/lizard or are they considered to be a distinct species in their own right?'' If the former, then it's likely FunnyAnimal, if the latter, it's likely Beast Man.

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!!Sliding Scale of Animal Body Type Anthropomorphism

* '''LittleBitBeastly''': They are characters who appear virtually human and have completely human skin, but feature the added characteristics of an animal's [[UnusualEars ears]], tail, and sometimes claws, [[HornedHumanoid horns]], CuteLittleFangs. The special abilities or instincts of that animal may also be present. Unlike "Borderline LittleBitBeastly" (below), this type has a completely human nose. There are two types of LittleBitBeastly, [[GratuitousJapanese Kemonomimi and Gijinka]]. Kemonomimi look like (or basically are) humans, but have the added characteristics of an animal's [[UnusualEars ears]] and tail. Gijinka also look like humans that have the added characteristics of an animal's ears and tail, but they are regarded as ''actual'' creatures or animals in-story. {{Cat Girl}}s are a good example of this type.
* '''BeastMan''': They resemble an animal's head and tail (where applicable) placed on an animal accented human body frame. They have either a completely animal-shaped head, a largely animal-shaped head, or a half human/half animal-shaped head. They have the muzzle, beak, or bill of their respective species. They can have feet that are [[HumanlikeFootAnatomy either plantigrade or digitigrade (or unguligrade if a hoofed animal)]] and usually keep the shape of that of their respective species. Females will usually possess [[NonMammalMammaries human-like breasts]]. A more anthropomorphic variant can have a mostly or nearly human-shaped head with the animal's ears, and muzzle, beak, or bill, animal-accented human hands, and have human-proportioned, plantigrade feet that are either human-shaped or shaped like that of their species. A [[FurryFemaleMane female will often have humanlike, styleable hair (or feathers if a bird) on her head]], though males with similarly humanlike hair (or feathers if a bird) is also common. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not exclusive to this type and can sometimes be found further down the scale. This is also known as the ''jyūjin'', which is regarded as a zoomorphic human. The kemono looks as humanoid, but is regarded as an animal, whether [[FurryLens contextually human]] or not.
* '''Borderline BeastMan''': Their bodies look partly humanoid and partly like their species, often they have either humanoid legs and non-humanoid torso, a humanoid torso and non-humanoid legs, or look semi-humanoid all over. Like FunnyAnimal / CivilizedAnimal Animals, they walk on two legs for at least a good part of the time. Also like that type, naturally quadrupedal animals can walk on two legs and on all fours equally well, especially if they are of the humanoid torso/non-humanoid legs type or the semi-humanoid all over type. They can have [[HumanlikeFootAnatomy either digitigrade or plantigrade feet]], and females will sometimes have [[NonMammalMammaries human-like breasts]]. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not uncommon to this type.
* '''FunnyAnimal / CivilizedAnimal Animals''': Like the final type, they have a body resembling their respective species, except some portions have been altered. Whether they normally have paws, hooves, or tentacles, they're depicted in the work with human hands, fingers and all, although feet might remain [[HumanlikeFootAnatomy digitigrade or plantigrade]]. They walk on two legs for at least a good part of the time. They are [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter bipedal even if their species is not naturally so]]. Naturally quadrupedal animals can walk on two legs just as well as they can on all fours in this form. They can either stand with their legs straight (standard FunnyAnimal / CivilizedAnimal body type pose), sit up on their haunches (depending on the species in question), or stand with their knuckles on the ground (if a monkey or ape). Birds (almost always) have FeatherFingers, and their wings can look completely like wings or look like arms to varying degrees. They very seldom have [[NonMammalMammaries human-like breasts]]. {{Funny Animal}}s, {{Civilized Animal}}s, and a few {{Nearly Normal Animal}}s are of this body type.
* '''Animalistic Animals''': Animals that practically mirror their RealLife versions. If they normally have paws they have paws, if they normally have hooves they have hooves, if they normally have tentacles they have tentacles - no fingered hands. If they walk on four legs, they walk on four legs. However, many of them are capable of performing feats that their RealLife physiology generally wouldn't allow, like grasping objects as if they have opposable thumbs or a prehensile tail and being able to make human-like arm and hand gestures, while others are not. Birds can have FeatherFingers, but their wings still look completely like wings and not a human hand. The majority of {{Speech Impaired Animal}}s, {{Talking Animal}}s, and {{Partially Civilized Animal}}s, and most {{Nearly Normal Animal}}s are of this body type.
[[/index]]
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[[folder:Extraterrestrials]]
[[index]]

* '''BeastMan''': Take a human (anyone is allowed, despite the trope name), give them some animal traits, and you get this trope. The Japanese word, ''Jyūjin'' translates directly into this, being a zoomorphic human. A ''kemono'' looks as humanoid as this trope, but is an anthropomorphic animal. FurriesAreEasierToDraw comes into play, as they don't have difficult-to-draw human faces, but the obviously human traits make the characters less alien to the audience, making them easier to take seriously. Also using multiple species makes a cast easier to differentiate, another plus in medias that suffer from OnlySixFaces. [[SarcasmMode Women will of course have]] [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics the obvious sign]] [[SarcasmMode that they are female.]] Tends to come with:

* '''FunnyAnimal''': This is where we hit characters who could be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. Generally, the majority or most of their mannerisms are that of a human. In some cases, almost all their mannerisms may be that of a human. Imagine if your pet does everything you do such as eating, talking, cooking, sleeping, and working and you should get the idea. MickeyMouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics. As there can be some confusion between this and BeastMan above, ask yourself this question: ''Are they considered to be a cat/dog/lizard or are they considered to be a distinct species in their own right?'' If the former, then it's likely FunnyAnimal, if the latter, it's likely Beast Man.

[[caption-width-right:134: Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan, FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Anubis]] , ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

* '''Sentient plants''': These plants are aware of their surroundings and can even feel pain. WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants is a good example.

* '''Sentient plants''': These plants are aware of their surroundings and can even feel pain. ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' is a good example.

* '''Inanimate, sentient plants''': These plants are incapable of movement, but are still aware of their surroundings and can even feel pain. Sometimes it's a particularly horrifying variation of BalefulPolymorph; a person is [[{{Transflormation}} turned into a mere plant]], but [[AndIMustScream still possesses enough consciousness to know what is happening to them, unable to do anything]].

* '''BeastMan''': Take a human (anyone is allowed, despite the trope name), give them some animal traits, and you get this trope. The Japanese word, ''Jyūjin'' translates directly into this, being a zoomorphic human. A ''kemono'' looks as humanoid as this trope, but is an anthropomorphic animal. FurriesAreEasierToDraw comes into play, as they don't have difficult-to-draw human faces, but the obviously human traits make the characters less alien to the audience, making them easier to take seriously. Also using multiple species makes a cast easier to differentiate, another plus in medias that suffer from OnlySixFaces. [[SarcasmMode Women will of course have]] [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics the obvious sign]] they are female.]] Tends to come with:

* '''BeastMan''': Take a human (males or females are allowed, despite the trope name), give them some animal traits, and you get this trope. The Japanese word, ''Jyūjin'' translates directly into this, being a zoomorphic human. A ''kemono'' looks as humanoid as this trope, but is an anthropomorphic animal. FurriesAreEasierToDraw comes into play, as they don't have difficult-to-draw human faces, but the obviously human traits make the characters less alien to the audience, making them easier to take seriously. Also using multiple species makes a cast easier to differentiate, another plus in medias that suffer from OnlySixFaces. Females will of course have [[NonMammalMammaries the obvious sign]] they are female. Tends to come with:

* '''BeastMan''': Take a human (males or females are allowed, despite the trope name), give them some animal traits, and you get this trope. FurriesAreEasierToDraw comes into play, as they don't have difficult-to-draw human faces, but the obviously human traits make the characters less alien to the audience, making them easier to take seriously. Also using multiple species makes a cast easier to differentiate, another plus in medias that suffer from OnlySixFaces. Females will of course have [[NonMammalMammaries the obvious sign]] they are female. Tends to come with:
** '''IntelligentGerbil''': A science-fiction/fantasy method of [[CharacterizationTropes characterization]] for BeastMan. These are aliens/fantasy races who are, by amazing coincidence, [[InexplicableCulturalTies like earth animals]], which is reflected culturally and behaviorally.

* '''BeastMan''': They resemble an animal's head and tail (where applicable) placed on an animal accented human body frame. They have either a completely animal-shaped head, a largely animal-shaped head, or a half human/half animal-shaped head. They have the muzzle, beak, or bill of their respective species. They can have feet that are [[HumanlikeFootAnatomy either plantigrade or digitigrade (or unguligrade if a hoofed animal)]] and usually keep the shape of that of their respective species. Females will usually possess [[NonMammalMammaries human-like breasts]]. A more anthropomorphic variant can have a mostly or nearly human-shaped head with the animal's ears, and muzzle, beak, or bill, animal-accented human hands, and have human-proportioned, plantigrade feet that are either human-shaped or shaped like that of their species. A [[FurryFemaleMane female will often have humanlike, styleable hair (or feathers if a bird) on her head]], though males with similarly humanlike hair (or feathers if a bird) is also common. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not exclusive to this type and can sometimes be found further down the scale.

* '''Borderline BeastMan''': Their bodies look partly humanoid and partly like their species, often they have either humanoid legs and non-humanoid torso, a humanoid torso and non-humanoid legs, or look semi-humanoid all over. Like FunnyAnimal / CivilizedAnimal Animals, they walk on two legs for at least a good part of the time. Also like that type, naturally quadrupedal animals can walk on two legs and on all fours equally well, especially if they are of the humanoid torso/non-humanoid legs type or the semi-humanoid all over type. They can have [[HumanlikeFootAnatomy either digitigrade or plantigrade feet]], and they sometimes have [[NonMammalMammaries human-like breasts]]. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not uncommon to this type.

* '''BeastMan''': They resemble an animal's head and tail (where applicable) placed on an animal accented human body frame. They have either a completely animal-shaped head, a largely animal-shaped head, or a half human/half animal-shaped head. They have the muzzle, beak, or bill of their respective species. They can have feet that are [[HumanlikeFootAnatomy either plantigrade or digitigrade (or unguligrade if a hoofed animal)]] and usually keep the shape of that of their respective species. They usually possess [[NonMammalMammaries human-like breasts]]. A more anthropomorphic variant can have a mostly or nearly human-shaped head with the animal's ears, and muzzle, beak, or bill, animal-accented human hands, and have human-proportioned, plantigrade feet that are either human-shaped or shaped like that of their species. A [[FurryFemaleMane female will often have humanlike, styleable hair (or feathers if a bird) on her head]], though males with similarly humanlike hair (or feathers if a bird) is also common. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not exclusive to this type and can sometimes be found further down the scale.

* '''SpeechImpairedAnimal''': An animal who can't quite talk (at least not without heavy quirks), but is definitely of above-animal intelligence and usually capable of relatively efficient communication. There can and often will be misunderstandings. Like {{Talking Animal}}s, they may occasionally act more human-like if the need (and RuleOfFunny / RuleOfCool) calls for it. ScoobyDoo is practically the TropeMaker. Franchise/{{Pokemon}} and other creature that "speak" to humans in nonhuman languages also fit here.

[[caption-width-right:134: Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan[[note]]Wolf is more of a FunnyAnimal than a BeastMan. The trope for more humanoid animals used to be Petting Zoo People before being changed to BeastMan, and thus has yet to be updated with a better example[[/note]], FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], , ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=o1tq81nbl6tmfytdsukdrwns

[[quoteright:134:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssoa_05-5v_1879.png]]
[[caption-width-right:134: Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan[[note]]Wolf is more of a FunnyAnimal than a BeastMan. The trope for more humanoid animals used to be Petting Zoo People before being changed to BeastMan, and thus has yet to be updated with a better example[[/note]], FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], [[VideoGame/StarFox Wolf O'Donnell]], ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:134: Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan[[note]]Wolf is more of a FunnyAnimal than a BeastMan. The trope for more humanoid animals used to be PettingZooPeople before being changed to BeastMan, and thus has yet to be updated with a better example[[/note]], FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], [[VideoGame/StarFox Wolf O'Donnell]], ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

** '''IntelligentGerbil''': A science-fiction/fantasy method of [[CharacterizationTropes characterization]] for BeastMan. These are aliens/fantasy races who are, by amazing coincidence, [[InexplicableCulturalTies like earth animals]], which is reflected culturally and behaviorally. This is often explained as the result of HollywoodEvolution (either an alternate timeline with alternate evolutionary paths or the setting is [[AfterTheEnd in the far future after humans are gone]], or [[LegoGenetics genetic manipulation]]).
* '''Borderline BeastMan''': This is for characters who don't quite fit into either BeastMan or FunnyAnimal. Usually, they're a character who can trace their ancestry back to an Earth animal, however they're treated more as a distinct species rather than as an animal that acts human--if you're confused, consider that birds evolved from dinosaurs so you can technically say that they're the same animal, although you probably think of them as different ones. Cat from ''Series/RedDwarf'' is a good example: He's the result of domesticated cats evolving over 3 million years, but he has very little in common with the animal that's his distant ancestor. More importantly, it's not possible to replace Cat with a human like you could if he was a FunnyAnimal, since one main plot point of ''Red Dwarf'' is that all the humans are dead.

[[caption-width-right:134: Top to bottom: [[VisualPun Human]], LittleBitBeastly, BeastMan, FunnyAnimal, SpeechImpairedAnimal, and Dog.[[note]]Pictured: Music/SnoopDogg, [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Kotaro Inugami]], [[VideoGame/StarFox Wolf O'Donnell]], ComicBook/BobTheDog, Franchise/ScoobyDoo, and ''[[GratuitousLatin Canis lupus familiaris]]''.[[/note]]]]

** '''GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe''': Alien as CuteMonsterGirl. She may be slightly physically different from an Earthling. For example, the women of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0 Orion]] or [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Zehoberei]]; the two examples also illustrate that similar appearance does not equal similar temperament.

* '''HumanAliens''': Aliens that look just like people. They may look a ''little'' different, they might have BizarreAlienBiology, or super advanced technology, or some form of superpowers, but no person would be able to tell the difference. [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] and ComicBook/{{Superman}} are good examples.
* '''RubberForeheadAliens''': The extraterrestrial sister trope of BeastMan, Rubber Forehead Aliens have only one or two major characteristics that makes them different from humans. What makes them different, however, is that they don't bear semblance to any animal. They might {{justif|ied trope}}y this by saying that they have a common ancestor with or are somehow descended from humans. This usually comes from [[CoconutSuperpowers budget limitations]], so you are more likely to see this in live action than in animation. Most ''Franchise/StarTrek'' races, such as Klingons, are a good example.
** '''GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe''': Alien as CuteMonsterGirl. She may be slightly physically different from an Earthling.

* '''TheReptilians''': They can be anything from RubberForeheadAliens to stranger variations of HumanoidAliens, usually straddling the line right here between humanoid and animalistic. They are obviously based on a group of terrestrial animals, but they tend to follow a set of traits that have no specific parallel among Earth creatures.

* '''StarfishAliens''': ''Really'' Alien Aliens. And given the insane variety of life on our planet, it's not unlikely that these are closest to what's really out there.