Animal

An organism that is scientifically defined as one that is capable of moving itself, reproducing with others of its species, and often some level of thought. When people say "animals", they often exclude humans although they are also in the animal kingdom. Animals can play a significant role in fiction, let it be in whole franchises surrounding them and only them or shorter stories like episodes of a TV show. Depending on the context of a story, animals as a whole, a select group of species, or only one species can be the main focus. Each species has its own typical portrayal in fiction, especially when Animals Actually Are People Too.

Different roles have different opinions on animals. Most are neutral towards them while some exist solely because of their relationship with them. The Animal Lover, for one, is a role who can go to great extents to watch over and protect animals they encounter. More extreme instances of the role may grow hostile towards those who fail to treat animals with respect, namely the Animal Hater, a role who casually neglects, abuses, or kills animals. Animal Haters make most of their appearances in the Save the Animals plot where they are Petty Evil antagonists of the story that the Main Cast must fight in order to protect the targeted animals. The Hunter is someone who goes out into the wild and strategically kills animals either for sport or survival. If hunting is considered wrong by the current plot, the Hunter might be a low-class country hick who mindlessly kills animals to do his job as the Super Evil Bad Guy. The Fisherman is a related role focused on hunting fish. He is more rarely portrayed as the Villain than the Hunter for his acts regarding fish. The Veterinarian is the Doctor but for animals. If they aren't part of the Main Cast, they only appear when the Main Cast has a pet or wild animal who needs medical treatment.

Bat
Bats are uncommon two-legged flying mammals. They live in caves where they sleep in great numbers in the daytime. They will often fly at — but never attack — anyone who enters their domain. Bats are one of the animal Holiday Characters of Halloween, along with black cats, owls, and corvids. A vampire might be seen transforming into one of these.

Bear
Bears are uncommon four- or two-legged mammals. They're most often found in forests where they search for honey to eat and nearby picnics and camping outings to ruin. As large, intimidating predators, bears are often mindlessly aggressive beasts who attack and maul humans for no reason, which is a mostly inaccurate characteristic in comparison to real-life bears. Bears are excellent tree climbers, which makes them almost inescapable for any humans they may be chasing.

Cat
Cats are four-legged mammals who are common pets owned by humans. They're one of the two most popular choices for a pet, with the other being the dog. Cats and dogs are common rivals in fiction, which spawned the Dog v Cat UnTrash. Cats are one of the lazier common animals in fictions as they can normally be seen statically lying down somewhere or completely asleep. They are typical predators of mice, rats, birds, and fish, which can prove to be troublesome for animals less able to escape a cat's attack in time. Cats are said to have nine lives and to always land on their paws because of how gracefully they move. These sayings may actually apply in certain franchises. A cat's favorite activities include batting at strings or balls of yarn, clawing up furniture into useless bits, and climbing and subsequently getting stuck in trees.

Dog
Dogs are four-legged land mammals that humans hold as one of two popular options for a pet, the other being the cat. Because of this, dogs and cats are often portrayed as enemies. The typical behaviors of dogs consist of chasing mailmen, chasing their own tails, chasing cars, chasing squirrels, sniffing other dogs, digging holes in backyards, humping anything, giving people they like their idea of a Big Kiss, and using aptly-named puppy eyes to emotionally manipulate others. Dogs can be found chewing on bones and sticks, as well as shoes, furniture, and anything else their owners would miss if it ever so happened to get caught in a canine's jaws if their dog hasn't been trained properly. This is a more recurrent issue in the Misbehaving Pet plot.

Human
Humans are the only common two-legged mammal in fiction. In stories where they are not the central species, they typically take up one of a few collective roles. One of these roles is being the greedy, expansionist destroyer of animal homes who will ruthlessly bulldoze habitats into the ground for malls, parking lots, amusement parks, or whatever other structure they wish to build to grow their empire. Another is being a race of advanced creatures who exist in a technology-ridden world that made them forget the good, simple life. Humans 'N' Animals stories may depict humans as just another race in the world not too different from their animal neighbors.

Fox
Foxes are rare four-legged canines who can be found in forests. They are depicted as clever creatures who are masters of trickery, which is why many of them may take up the role of Deceiver. Unlike wolves, foxes are wild canines who are not immediately hostile towards humans.

Monkey
Monkeys are rare two-legged primates. They can be most easily found in jungles, but they also make appearances in tropical places Middle East-like areas. Monkeys are famed for their craving for bananas and may do whatever it takes to get their hands on their favorite fruit. They are playful and mischievous animals who snag humans' possessions before making off into a tree or other high-up object.

Mouse
Mice are slightly uncommon four-legged rodents. Known to be a pest to humans in fiction and real life, they live in holes in the walls of humans' homes as they occasionally emerge to hunt for cheese. Mice are typical prey for cats, especially house cats that humans might keep around to catch and kill any intruding mice.

Rat
Rats are somewhat uncommon four-legged rodents. They're the larger, more numerous cousins of mice who are a typical sight in dirty or low-quality areas such as Rough Cities or abandoned buildings. Rats are normally more aggressive than mice and may attack anyone who gets too close. If there are many rats nearby, they can all swarm one target and hopelessly outnumber it.

Shark
Sharks are rare, large fish who, if wild, exclusively live in the ocean. Along with bears, lions, and sometimes wolves, they are one of many Killing Machine animals that humans are deathly afraid of. If a human is lost at sea or a long way from safe land, it can be expected of sharks to circle their to-be prey with their dorsal fins poking through the water's surface. Aside from humans, sharks are great at hunting smaller fish and other sea creatures.