This page refers to Non-alien Creatures Wiki's classifications on creatures' body shapes. This classification uses known real and mythical animals as the base of names and forms, as those are the most common in fantasy and fiction.
Types of body[]
Animal-based types[]
These are very common, and will be used in the case of a creature that closely resembles a real world animal. Terms such as:
- canine (dog-like)
- equine (horse-like)
- feline (cat-like)
- cetacean (whale/dolphin/porpoise-like)
- pinniped (seal-like)
- ursine (bear-like)
- suine (pig-like)
- hominoid (ape-like)
- macacoid (monkey-like)
- chiropteran (bat-like)
- coleopteran (beetle-like)
- lacertilian (lizard-like)
- selachimorphan (shark-like)
- piscian (fish-like)
- serpentine (snake-like)
- cephalopod (inkfish-like)
- gastropod (snail-like)
- murid (rat/mouse-like)
- talpid (mole-like)
- macropod (kangaroo-like)
- cervine (deer-like)
- proboscidean (elephant-like)
- xenarthric (Armadillo, Sloth, and Anteater-like)
- salientian (frog-like)
- testudine (turtle-like)
- crocodilian (crocodile and alligator-like)
- diplopod (centipede/millipede-like)
- cnidarian (jellyfish-like)
- odonate (dragonfly-like)
and many other possible types.
Centaurian[]
Creatures with a humanoid torso and the lower half of another creature. Names for such are listed below:
- Equi-centaurian: Humanoid torso and lower half of a horse.
- Arachno-centaurian: Humanoid torso and lower half of an arachnid.
- Capri-centaurian: Humanoid torso and lower half of a goat.
- Ophidio-centaurian: Humanoid torso and lower half of a snake.
- Pisci-centaurian: Humanoid torso and lower half of a fish.
Humanoid[]
“ | A bipedal being, with one or more pairs of arms. |
” |
— Definition of the humanoid body type, NAC Wiki Database
|
By far the most commonly used in sapient species, refers to a being or species whose body shape is similar to that of a Homo sapiens. Creatures belonging to this type are always bipedal, usually with one or two or four arms.
Tripod[]
“ | A tripedal being. |
” |
— Definition of the tripod body type, NAC Wiki Database
|
As opposite to bipedal and quadrupedal beings, these are very odd in the real world (apart from amputees and mutations), as there are no known naturally occurring three-legged animals on Earth[1]. This type encompasses any tripedal creature.
"Draconic" types[]
Western Dragon[]
Traditional Medieval type dragon, having four legs and two (usually bat-like) wings. Creatures belonging to this type are usually quadrupedal and reptilian.
Wyvern[]
A Wyvern resembles a Western Dragon but with two legs and two (usually bat-like) wings. Creatures belonging to this type can be either bipedal or quadrupedal (in the fact their wings double as forelegs) and are reptilian. They primarily inhabit northern Europe.
Eastern Dragon / Ryū[]
A long, scaled, serpentine creature with two, four, or no legs, such as a Chinese or Japanese dragon, but the Mesoamerican feathered serpents can also be classified as such.
References[]
- ↑ "Although the movement of some Macropods such as kangaroos, which can alternate between resting their weight on their muscular tails and their two hind legs, may be an example of tripedal locomotion in animals." Wikipedia article on tripedalism.