!! The prevelance of this trope

The Bad Webcomics Wiki has an article [[http://badwebcomicswiki.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Anthropomorphic_Animals_and_Their_Use_in_Cartoons_and_Comics here]] on why the usage of Funny Animals became so popular in comics and cartoons. Some examples they discussed are ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' and ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' utilizing AnimalJingoism and AnimalStereotypes to quickly establish character relationships and personalities, and ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' taking advantage of the unique anatomy of various animals to create an AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance that fits a character's personality.

!! FunnyAnimal or BeastMan?
FunnyAnimal is an animal with human traits while BeastMan is a humanoid with animal traits, but there can be a bit of confusion based solely on that distinction. Luckily, there are a few methods to more easily tell which trope this should fall under. So this analysis doesn't become full of "''insert species name here''", we'll use a cat as the example character we need to pick apart.

First is the term. "Anthro[pomorphic] cat" or "cat - man/woman/folk/person?" English uses prepositional adjectives meaning the adjectives come before the noun, and thus we can use this quirk as a guideline to figure out whether people subconsciously think it's more a cat (FunnyAnimal) or more a person (BeastMan).

Second, naming. Are they called cats or are they called something else? Don't get confused with CallARabbitASmeerp though; this has nothing to do with having two names for the same species, this is to do with having two names for two different species, à la ''panthera tigris'' (tiger) and ''panthera onca'' (jaguar). Is the cat(?) fine with being called a cat or does s/he get offended? Does s/he {{insist|entTerminology}} you call them by their proper species name? If the former, they're likely FunnyAnimal since they admit to being a cat. If it's the latter, they're likely BeastMan, since you've basically commited SonOfAnApe to him/her. However, keep in mind the cat could just not comment out of politeness, so don't assume no InsistentTerminology automatically equals FunnyAnimal.

Third, the origins of the character. Is the cat(?) is specifically mentioned to be from space? If so, it's a dead giveaway they're a BeastMan, doubly so if the work is set ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway where Earth is an InsignificantLittleBluePlanet or even unheard of. But if they originated here on Earth, whether through [[LegoGenetics genetic engineering]], [[AnthropomorphicTransformation evolution]], or [[AlternateUniverse a parallel universe]], they should fall under FunnyAnimal. Note the word ''should'' - the cat might have originated on Earth, but if they're considered a distinct species they still go under BeastMan. (If you're confused how that happens, remember that birds evolved from dinosaurs and thus you can technically say they're the same animal, but you probably consider them to be two different ones.)

Fourth, the cat(?) and other cats. FurryConfusion is a dead giveaway it's FunnyAnimal. This is because the anthropomorphic cat character is, in the end, an animal, so confusion aside you can have an anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic cat, but the {{Cat|Folk}}-Person would again tell you that they're not at all related to the cat. FurryConfusion with a BeastMan would be like seeing a ''homo sapiens'' (human) with a ''homo erectus'' (the species that eventually evolved into humans), but works tend to eschew having this.

Fifth, humans. Is it a WorldOfFunnyAnimals where humans don't exist? As the name implies, you're looking at FunnyAnimal. If humans do exist, then see what happens if you replace the animals with humans. Since FunnyAnimal characters are usually just [[FurryLens substitutes for humans]], the plot and premise should be barely affected, some animal-specific jokes notwithstanding. In works with BeastMan characters replacing the animals tend to throw a wrench in the whole work, since Beast Men are usually stand-ins for non-humans (similar to RubberForeheadAlien) and obviously you can't have a work featuring a non-human race if the characters aren't non-human.

Sixth, their actions. An anthropomorphic cat would have {{Furry Reminder}}s, while a cat-person would not - the FurryReminder is there so you remember that yes, they are a cat, but a cat-person would not as aside from appearance, they really are not that feline. Remember, a BeastMan is like a RubberForeheadAlien except instead of rubber it's fur.
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