History Main / TalkingAnimal

* ''Literature/FlightToTheLonesomePlace'': Marlowe--possibly. Only Anna Maria Rosalita and Luis Black know for sure and they aren't talking.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTarzan'': Unlike the movie, in which it is not clear whether the animals [[{{Masquerade}} keep their ability to talk a secret from everyone]] except Tarzan or if [[TranslationConvention they really can't talk]], this series has the animals talking to Jane and Professor Porter.

* ''WesternAnimation/TarzanAndJane'': Unlike the movie, in which it is not clear whether the animals [[{{Masquerade}} keep their ability to talk a secret from everyone]] except Tarzan or if [[TranslationConvention they really can't talk]], this series has the animals talking to Jane and Professor Porter.

** The gorillas and elephants in ''{{WesternAnimation/Tarzan}}'', possibly. They talk to each other and Tarzan, but [[AmbiguousSituation it is never made clear]] whether the animals are {{Talking Animal}}s that {{Masquerade}} as normal animals around everyone except Tarzan, or if [[TranslationConvention they actually can't talk]].

* The ''Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon'' has more examples that you can shake a stick at. At many times it tries to maintain a semi-realism with animals being able to talk to humans.

** The gorillas and elephants in ''{{WesternAnimation/Tarzan}}, possibly. They talk to each other and Tarzan, but [[AmbiguousSituation it is never made clear]] whether the animals are {{Talking Animal}}s that {{Masquerade}} as normal animals around everyone except Tarzan, or if [[TranslationConvention they actually can't talk]].

** Sebastian, Flounder, Flotsam, Jetsam, and many of the other marine animals from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}''. They're sapient and can do things like shake their heads, dance, and play music.

** The gorillas and elephants in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}, possibly. They talk to each other and Tarzan, but [[AmbiguousSituation it is never made clear]] whether the animals are {{Talking Animal}}s that {{Masquerade}} as normal animals around everyone except Tarzan, or if [[TranslationConvention they actually can't talk]].

%% * In ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'' there is Wilbur, Charlotte and Templeton. As well as quite a few others.

** Though, oddly, Pocahontas averts this. Native Americans being one with the spirits of nature, this is one of the rare cases where it would make at least a little sense.

* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', most residents of Betel's Forest appear to be regular animals who can talk, though it's possible that some are only animals [[ForcedTransformation due to the barrier's magic]]. Elsewhere, the [[MixAndMatchCritter slug-otterst]] bullying Tomo spoke Forest language but didn't show human-like behaviour beyond that. There are also [[CivilizedAnimal civilized]] and [[FunnyAnimal funny]] talking animals, such as Yfa's family and Misha.

* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', most residents of Betel's Forest appear to be regular animals who can talk, though it's possible that some are only animals [[ForcedTransformation due to the barrier's effects]]. Elsewhere, the creatures bullying Tomo were able to speak Forest language but didn't show human-like behaviour beyond that. There are also [[CivilizedAnimal civilized]] and [[FunnyAnimal funny]] talking animals, such as Yfa's family and Misha.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Literature/ShadowsInTheMoonlight'', Literature/ConanTheBarbarian and Olivia realize that things are bad from a talking parrot:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rintindumb}}'': The title character is Rintindumb, a dog who can talk. Of course, it seems all
animals can converse with each other in the world of the cartoon.

* ''[[Webcomic/BeyondTheEnd]]'': Most creatures in the comic can talk, but most significantly are the amphiteres and ravens.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Llanargollen}}'', only a few animals can talk, those being the main character, Ceri the Dog-tective, her cousin Caradog, Barti's pirate-cat Ianto, and reindeer Cadi and Carwyn. In Ceri's case, she has a tendency to roll her R's a lot, including one of her frequently used catchphrases ("Interrrrrresting!").

* Starlite from ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'' is [[CatchPhrase the most magical horse in the universe]] so obviously he can speak.

* In early arcs of ''Manga/DragonBall'', there were talking animals in nature on an apparently random basis, as well as FunnyAnimals in civilization. Dinosaurs especially were often able to talk. This feature gradually dwindled out as the series grew and the nature of its humor changed, with Master Roshi's sea turtle being the only non-anthropomorphic talking animal to be a recurring character.
* The many animals of ''Manga/ShirokumaCafe.'' It's not outright explained why animals can talk in their world, but from various scenes from the anime and manga it can be pieced together that only animals that have been integrated into human society can talk, implying they must be taught how.
* ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', anyone? Not to mention that they literally all speak to HUMANS! And they learn the dub language in like 5 seconds!
%% * All the Digimon from ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}''.

** Meowth of the Team Rocket trio. The anime shows through {{flashback}}s just how hard it was for him to learn to say something other than "Meowth", which other members of his species say. One could consider Meowth some manner of prodigy, as he is also capable of translating [[AnimalTalk "Pokémon"]] to human language from species of Pokémon other than his own. This mastery of human speech also came at a cost though: he can't really learn any new moves (not even Pay Day, Meowth's signature move) apart from ones that involve scratching or perhaps biting.

* Animals in the Magical Kingdom can talk in ''Manga/HimechansRibbon'' such as having birds as messengers.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Chopper is a reindeer that can not only talk to humans, but other animals as well. This is thanks to the Devil Fruit he ate, the Human-Human Fruit, which gives him human-level intelligence and the ability to talk to them (As for the other animals, AnimalTalk is in effect here).
** Pappug is a starfish who learned to talk ''because of a pun'' related to the pronunciation of "I'm a human" (''hito desu'') and "starfish" (''hitode'').
** The Mink tribe are an entire species of talking animals, with varying animalistic features. Notable among them are Bepo, a polar bear in Trafalgar Law's crew, and Pekoms, a lion in Big Mom's crew; both of them were introduced long before their tribe was properly shown onscreen, leaving much mystery as to why they could walk and talk until then.
* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', the setting has the Kasugaigarasu, the messenger crows, which serves as the main line of communication among the demon slayers; the crows have been taught how to talk through unspecified methods, at first some crows are shown to only be able to speak to a certain level, as in they seem slightly speech impaired, but later more experienced crows are shown talking fully coherent like a human being.
* The entire cast of ''WebAnimation/MoriNoAndo'', considering they know which words humans would use and what words animals would use.
* Luna, Artemis and Diana from ''Franchise/SailorMoon''. In ''Anime/SailorMoon S: The Movie'') Luna [[HumanityEnsues becomes human]] through magic.

* Fuji, Yankumi's dog in ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}'', is a slight subversion of this trope -- he runs through an [[InnerMonologue internal monologue]] and has surprisingly human thought processes, but he's actually making strange dog sounds and the other characters in the show don't understand him. He also walks upright and wears a jacket. [[WeirdnessCensor Nobody notices this]].
* Teika Midarezaki from ''Manga/KyouranKazokuNikki'', who is a talking lion. He's very proud of this.
* Generally, ''Anime/WolfsRain'' can be considered this. Telepathy or not, they can verbally communicate with humans and this is how the majority would describe them anyway. Not only can the eponymous wolves speak telepathically, they use illusions to disguise themselves as humans. When they fight, the illusions are understandably dropped and they are ''very clearly'' wolves.

* Shamisen, Kyon's cat in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', for a short time. Of course, normal cats don't talk and this is all [[RealityWarper Haruhi's]] fault. Shamisen is something of a philosopher, and his first few words toy with the trope. When the gang express their surprise that he can talk, he brings up the possibility that he is merely articulating noises that correspond to human speech without understanding them. Kyon points out that by that line of reasoning, there is also a chance that every human conversation that ever occurs is a complete coincidence.

* Clara (a cat) and Poipoider (a porpoise) in ''Anime/MarsDaybreak''. Poipoider's ability to speak stems from translators built into the PoweredArmor he uses to walk on land, but Clara is able to understand him even outside of it.
* Happy and Charle from ''Manga/FairyTail'' are two talking cats. [[spoiler: More accurately, are part of a race of talking, cat-like creatures called Exceed, who hatch from eggs and use magic to grow wings and fly]].

* The title character of ''Manga/OmamoriHimari'' can appear as a talking cat, though she usually prefers to appear as a human or CatGirl.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has multiple talking animals, such as toads, dogs, and giant slug just to name a few. Most but not all of them are [[SummonMagic summons]].
* Tama from ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'', who can only ''aspire'' to the importance of being a mascot. He only talks to Hayate, and is only occasionally bipedal.
* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', Canada's bear Kumajiro and Iceland's puffin can talk. When the Nekotalia strips happened, all the nation cats can talk and at one point, Japaneko talked to his master Japan, causing Japan to react with shock.
* Kyuubei of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' sort of counts. He actually communicates via {{Telepathy}}, but is still perfectly fluent in Japanese, and understands human speech just fine. [[spoiler: [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Pity this doesn't also apply to his morals]]]].
* In ''Manga/WildFangs'', Gido is a sentient talking furball.
* In ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'', Akari's cats are given lines of "dialogue" that tell the reader what they're asking of their owners and what they are thinking- usually them asking or thinking about what's for dinner. [[SubvertedTrope However, they're not]] ''[[SubvertedTrope actually]]'' [[SubvertedTrope talking to the humans.]] What they're saying isn't actually acknowledged as an audible line of dialogue.
* ''Anime/DayBreakIllusion'' has a talking crow and a talking cat named [[ThemeNaming Laplace and Schrodinger]] respectively.

* Tsugumori in ''Manga/HanaTheFoxGirl'' is a talking dog. His little sister Hana is a fox that can take human form. Though when she's in fox form she falls into this trope, as does Haru Sakamoto when she's in snake form.

* ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'': Sakamoto can talk, but only when he wears his special bandanna. One episode he lost it to a crow, and that crow ends up talking.
* ''Manga/TokyoESP'' has Pelico. A female pelican who got [[PsychicPowers telepathic powers]]. Although Pelico fights on heroes' side, she still has the typical behavior of a pelican. She likes to eat fish and is looking for a partner.
* The various pets in ''Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenToppaBashin'' have the ability to talk, due to the properties of a mystical stone. [[spoiler: If the stones in question are destroyed, the ability is lost, and they revert back to normal.]]
%% * Every Yo-Kai from ''Anime/YokaiWatch''.
* Shera from ''Anime/ArabianNightsAdventuresOfSinbad''. Justified since she's a mynah bird. Apparently, the fact that she is actually a cursed human being also contributes to her high intelligence and talking skills.
* The climax of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'' leaves [[spoiler:Coco Jumbo the tortoise as this. [[RealityWarper Silver Chariot Requiem]] causes every human and animal in Rome to FreakyFridayFlip with nearby beings, and the soul of [[BackForTheDead Jean-Pierre Polnareff]] ended up in Coco Jumbo's body after his own was killed.]] Somehow, he is able to speak when other [[spoiler:human souls swapped into animal bodies]] are shown not to be, [[spoiler: and when [[ArtisticLicenseBiology tortoises]] lack vocal cords and lips]].
* ''Manga/ToYourEternity'': Once the shapeshifting being Fushi[[DubNameChange /Immo]] learns to speak, he can do so in his animal forms as well as he can in human forms.

* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'': Thanks to Soundbite's voice-granting powers and the ability to communicate with other animals (being a snail and all), he can make any mostly-land-based animal (sea creatures have a different dialect) the crew comes across this... usually with very humorous results.
* ''Fanfic/TheRWBYLoops'' turns Zwei into one, with a refined and aristocratic british accent. A minor running gag is a nonlooper encountering this and asking YouCanTalk? to which the reply is a BluntYes and then moving on with the conversation.
* Dr. Evans from ''Fanfic/HardBeingPure'' is a talking rat taking his job as a doctor quite seriously.

* ''Fanfic/ACertainDrollHivemind'': As said in "Entry 15", after Yui, the CharacterNarrator, has seen such a work of animated fiction:
--> "Well, I bet this one eats a lot! Look how fat he is," Abe Eiko agreed, zooming in to take another shot. "Awesome! Come on, fatty catty? How many baby birds did you eat today?"\\
The cat, being a cat, did not answer. Cats cannot talk, except in works of fiction.

* Animals in the Magical Kingdom can talk in ''Manga/HimechanNoRibon'' such as having birds as messengers.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rintindumb}}'': The title character is Rintindumb, a dog who can talk. Of course, it seems all animals can converse with each other in the world of the cartoon.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Hobbes is only animated when alone with Calvin, as a general rule, yet seems to live quite an independent life from Calvin, chasing critters in the forest and reading comic books with interest. Hobbes is very often the more sensible, the more sane, and the more eloquent of the title duo, though he does have his moments of primal savagery (which he works off by attacking Calvin whenever he comes home from school, or having Calvin throw a slice of jellied toast for him to "catch").

* "Pray For The Girls" from ''Music/HeroesAndVillains'' is from various POVs, including the Talking Dog.