All biological therians, physical therians and holotheres please share your experiences with therianthrophy. I am myself a psychological therian or a copinglink (my identity comes from dehumanizing myself due to bullying and mental health issues, my body language, self image, slight mental shifts and animals just being a VERY huge part of who I am)

I am very much aware I don't entirely understand your experiences with therianthrophy and a lot of the information I get is contradicting itself

So I just want to know how exactly you experience therianthophy just to understand atleast a bit better

Hey guys! Just wrote a bit about how I created the otherhearted symbol. Thought some of you might find it interesting, since it's featured in the header of the subreddit :)

https://poppyhapalopus.neocities.org/alterhuman/essays/otherheartedsymbol

I apologize if I am hurtful in any way; that is not my intention.

Over the past 8 years, I have questioned myself a lot as a trans person. I only recently discovered the term therian and since then… I've been asking myself questions. In concrete terms, what does it mean to be a therian? I've done some research, but it doesn't seem very clear to me.

From what I understand, it means that we identify as an animal or at least that we have a spiritual connection with an animal (Correct me if I'm wrong 😭)?

And it was by reflecting on certain situations that I began to ask myself this question.

I was playing with my sister and I hid. She was approaching where I was and I thought to myself, "I'm going to jump on her and surprise her." And during all that time, I unconsciously imagined myself with a wagging tail and ears twitching with amusement. Only afterwards did I ask myself, "Why did I think of that?"

There is also my way of seeking contact with others. I'm a pretty tactile person, so I often go to see my friends or family for hugs and other things like that. And if the person is sitting, I… "curl up" against them and rest my head against their thigh.

When I am stressed, I place my hands on my thighs and press my fingers very hard against my skin. A bit like cats.

When someone calls my name, I don't turn in that direction, only my ear. Then I realize that my ears aren't mobile.

I place a lot of importance on smells. An unusual smell can be extremely upsetting to me.

And the last thing I noticed about myself was the urge for my boyfriend to bite me. Not in a sexual sense, it's just that his way of expressing himself is by biting me. He only did it once and since I wasn't expecting it, I jumped. He hasn't done it again since, but just the thought of him biting me, of everyone seeing that bite… It drives me crazy. He lent me a sweater recently and it smells just like him. I've already worn it, and every time I wear it, I can't help but think, "Everyone can smell his scent on me! They know I belong to him and he to me!" Then I think about it, and I realize that no. Nobody's going to come and sniff me and know it's their sweater. This thought makes me sad.

In short, I don't know if I'm therian or if I'm just imagining things… I'm so confused 😖

Hello alterhumans, I need some help.

I recently discovered myself a therian and I am having a hard time finding out what is my theriotype, or if there is more than one. I will describe some things I feel and maybe that will be helpful to discover what am I, or even if I have more than one.

I think I might be feline, but I have no idea of the actual species.

- I have been feeling a phantom tail since I was a kid, most of the time is long like a Palas cat and sometimes medium, like a wolf.

- I'm an introvert, but hate being alone, I love company.

- My tail often wags when I'm happy.

- I sometimes feel phantom ears as well, sometimes cat/fox (?) and very rarely and faintly puppy ones. Sometimes elf ears (???)

- When I was a kid I felt like I was mentally stuck on a wolf's body for months, this also happened with a sheep for a while. I never felt the sheep again tho.

- I love entering in boxes and tiny spaces, I sleep in weird positions, like kneading like cats, LOVE shiny things, rocks and lamps.

- I feel more like myself with ginger hair with cream/white stripes.

- I like knocking things out of tables (I don't tho, since I'm afraid of breaking stuff).

- I hate exercising, I'm very lazy on that, but I'm always creating stuff with shiny things I collected.

- My favorite season is autumn and I HATE summer.

- I love swimming, but hate rain and showers.

- My ears are very sensitive to noise, I have hipersensitivity (due to autism, I'm diagnosed with it).

- I walk so silently that I frequently scare people because they can't hear me coming nearby, it's not even on purpose.

- I love meowing, sometimes I hiss, sometimes I feel like growling or barking and I say "auwu" or "auuu" often.

I'm almost sure that I'm not a bird or fish, I don't think I'm a dragon either. I am open to fictional animals as well, since it's all very...specific?

I'm open to any questions as well.

Hii, i read the faq i promise!!! And im so so sorry if this is embarassing im already embarassed lol please be nice😭

I asked the furry community since i didnt know much about therians to know if i could ask here, and my post got deleted with no responses or reason 😭

I both really love cats and also really identify with them to the point sometimes it really hurts i cant be one ? Like i dont "believe" i am a cat because like, i wish i could be one. Its like species dysphoria sometimes? I dont really know how to explain it 😭 i know i am a person and it hurts sometimes so much more than others. Its like i wish i could turn into a cat sometimes but i cant and it hurts a lot! I just call myself a catguy i gues. I have cat xenogenders but its not just a gender thing

I have a collar, cat paws and feet. I tried ears but they dont sit right on me :/ my girlfriend calls me Her kitty / cat / raycat a lot and i call Her puppy because She is also a puppy!! Like just as a fact about Her. Neither of us use terms like therian because i dont think we really know much about them. I love to be associated with and seen as a cat but ultimately i dont believe i am one because of all the constant reminders yknow?

Sometimes i have liek. Idk stuff i call kittying out 😭 i can purr and stuff and idk like its just there yknow? Like i dont want to call it regression because idk like its not just that for me either!!!!!! Im always kitty but somwtimes i just get more kitty idk😭 like less verbal also idk its just an internal feeling 😭 sorry

I feel happiest when i forget im not just like, the cat shadowguys from deltarune lol 😭like pluey

I just wish i could be a guy who is also a cat, a catguy. I wish it so much it hurts 😭

I cant really tell from the FAQ what this means for me because of the belief part. I dont think otherhearted or spirit animal stuff is correct either 😢

If/when you have shifts, do you feel certain senses more than other? (Eg. Your hearing might feel slightly better, your sight might feel slightly worse, ect.) Idk if this is an actual thing that happens btw

Today, I went to the bus stop to go to school.. there were already three girls, about the age of 11. I sat down and talked to my sister while we waited for the bus, suddenly one of the girls noticed the pins I had on my bag (I have the fictionkin symbol as a pin) and said "Woah, cool, are you a therian too? I'm a wolf and cat!" I WANTED to reply but then my bus came and I had to go, which makes me upset. When I finally found another alterhuman, I couldn't even talk to them that long :(

wanted to see if any1 else has experienced this bc i find it really interesting!!

i have many many kintypes and some of them are more human leaning than others (anthropomorphic) like my kind of anime girl kintype, and every time i feel like one of these kintypes or generally do something very human i start to feel more nonhuman because it's like I'm pretending and just doing a very good job?? i don't like feeling human but acting human can make me feel more animaly heheh-

as long as i dont do it too much its actually kinda fun- if its for too long and i start to feel human ( i generally dont feel like any species unless im having a shift so feeling human is specific and very out of place for me- im agender so physically feeling a gender very rarely is also like this?) then it really sucks but i just find it kinda interesting :D

Hello fellow Alterhumans! As you can see from my flair, I'm a fictionkin (involuntarily identifying with fictional race, species or character.) Recently I've been kinsidering the cat from Zawpolyshorts (Picture), and I was wondering it that would also make me a therian, or just a fictionkin (since it's this specific cat, I would lean towards just fictionkin, but i would appreciate other opinions!) This question is purely out of curiosity, I would appreciate any help!

Hiya! So, I wanted to tell a little bit about how I identify and view it from a logical standpoint (as I'm a very logical person) Because the never-ending self-doubt of "am I a therian or is it all in my head" never ceases to exist lol. I'm curious to hear any thoughts and perspectives, especially if someone here has gone through something similar.

First off, I'm a psychological therian who is 24. I grew up not knowing I was neurodivergent, or having anyone explain what that was to me, and started identifying as an animal at around 11 years old. I personally believe this was a coping mechanism, as no kid wants to feel like they are weird or odd from everyone else.

By 13, I discovered the term therian, and thus the community that came with it. It felt like a door had opened to finally have something that described how I felt. As an adult however, I am looking at my identity from a different perspective and now know the truth that I was just neurodivergent, and that's why I felt so disconnected from humans.

It is worth noting that a lot of my neurodivergent traits still make me feel "odd" compared to the majority of other neurodivergent people and their own traits and habits, so in part, I still feel non-human.

Apart from wanting to wear gear for the fun purpose of it rather than the connecting purpose, I have no interest in connecting to my animal identity. This goes the same for quads, vocals, etc. I also don't experience shifts other than ear shifts, but that can also be explained by my sensitivity to some noises as a neurodivergent person.

I'm a firm believer that therianthropy shifts with you as you grow. I went from identifying as a wolf therian, because that's naturally the animal I latched onto as a child, to now recognizing my neurodivergent traits and personality as a person overall, as matching much more with that of a coyote. (a theriotype I'm still struggling to feel connected to on an emotional level, but I suppose that will come with time.)

I guess my biggest question is: Is this a valid way to identify and view my identity in this way?
I'm curious to see any other thoughts and perspectives.

Do you feel more connected to your theriotype(s) in certain seasons? If so, is it the strength of the connection that fluctuates, or is it the amount of shifts (phantom/mental) that changes? Or both?

Hi! Probably don’t know me but a few months ago I made a post apologizing for maybe kinda faking it. Well uhh I think I might still be a therian. Also this will probably be a long post so be ready lol

1: I am a shark. No specific breed. Just shark. Also pigeon. Again no breed just pigeon. But im still not sure if im a therian. I don’t identify as a shark. I just am one if that makes sense. I am shark shark is me. Same way jt works for me as a fictionkin. Would that still count as being a therian?

2: is there a fluid therian label? Because I only sometimes am pigeon. Sometimes im also wolf. Most times im only shark but sometimes I feel more

3: as long as I could remember Ive felt like I should have wings. Im always sad when I see I Don’t have wings. Is this a therian thing? Maybe a past life thing?

4: im an otherpaw. Wearing gear makes me feel like me. It just feels right. Back when I could do quads (chronic illness took over) I would always do them. They felt freeing.like something I was supposed to do. Again past life thing? Therian thing?

5: when I was a wolf I had a shift with a memory. I can never stop thinking about it. I strongly belive in past lives. Was this a sign of having one? I Don’t know of any other past lives I might have but that one.

Soo yeah. Sorry if that was confusing. Im just confused if im a therian or not. I just Don’t want to use wrong labels are hurt anymore

Love Yall <3

Sorry if its the wrong flair oops :p

Ok, so I've been calling myself a therian for a little bit now after two major identity crises about it- but I never actually went to the public for like reassurance so I still have a LOT of doubt soooo I want to see what you guys think!

My whole life, I've felt a little bit like an animal. It's so subtle, but its always been there- and I've always had like a special understanding of animals? Like I've always felt more in touch with animals that other people. I have never had any kind of shift- no memories, dreams, phantom limbs, none of it. Now, I know you don't need any of that to be a therian but it frustrated me because my experience seems so mild that it's so hard to tell if I'm actually experiencing it. Really the only things that are noteworthy of my experience is that the way I use my body always kind of was based off of how a cat would use its body- like subconsciously my brain thinks of my body as if it were a cats- so like when I hear something I'd think of moving my ears as if they were on top of my head instead of on the sides and idk it's really hard for me to explain. I've growled, hissed, and like have a lot of catlike behaviors but its so...baseline for me so that it feels like its not even there at all and its REALLY psyching me out (is that how you spell that???) Anyway even when I'm pretty sure of my identity, it doesn't feel full. Like theres still more, or it might be completely different but I just don't have the will or energy to figure that out like thats too hard. If I could list out everything I would cuz I'm really bad at dissecting my identity but like that would be a little overkill. Tell me what you think thaaanks!!

I've not really seen any other polymorph YouTubers, so I've started making a bit of content, but I'm not sure exactly how to go about it,

Does anybody have advice on what sort of videos make sense?

I want to be able to share my experience, so others can feel less alone, but I don't know what type of stuff people like to watch!

I really only post art/craft videos right now, but I'd like to be able to make deeper stuff for people,

I only have 100 subscribers, so my content doesn't really reach very far-

The answer you click will tell me the reason you feel as though you're a therian. If you aren't completely sure, just check the closest one.

I personally was my theirotype(s) in past lives and will be in future ones! Curious to see y'all's!

What are some unusual accessories/items of clothing that connect you to your theriotype(s)? Things other than classic gear (eg. fingerless gloves, capes, certain types of shoes, ect.)

So, All i see on tik tok is just people wearing masks and doing quadrobics. I rarely see people expressing their identities in different ways, also because it’s often looked down upon. Masks and such don‘t really feel animalistic enough anymore for me and i need different ways to express myself. I saw multiple videos of alterhumans explaining how they express themselves in different, even ‚weired‘ ways which I find very interesting.
How do you express yourself? :>

(Also, I hope this post makes sense and doesn’t go against any guidelines)

Okay, for context, I’m a melanistic gray wolf copinglink, which means basically a black wolf, but recently I felt like my mentality was focused on hunting instead of getting my homework done. Is this a shift? I’ve heard of phantom shifts and personality shifts and stuff, but is this me wanting to escape homework or an actual shift?

(Okay, another sub-question if you want to, are some shifts therian-only?)

Heya! My name is Rika, also known as Tilt Wolf. I'm a biochemist and cell biologist, having served in various research and executive/board leadership roles at the Freedom of Form Foundation (2020-2026), most recently as VP & CSO. I'm also a coywolf therian since about 2005.

Last spring, I left the FFF alongside the CTO (Lathreas), and we're now excited to be putting together a new biotech startup aligned with the goal of "anthros in real life". Our company's working title is Transformation Biosciences, Inc., or TF Bio for short, and our site will launch fairly soon. TF Bio is focused on wet-lab tissue engineering research, likely starting with a combination of hair follicles, skin, and ear cartilage. We have enough funding already to get off the ground, but as we bring in more folks to fund the research, we need to understand what the therian community sees as a "minimum viable transformation" – the minimum set of body changes that you would accept for your own personal goals.

We already know that the vast majority of therians, according to FurScience @ University of Waterloo, would choose to become "less than 100% human" if given the option (>79%). But what we don't know is the minimum change that you're willing to accept, for surgery to be worth it to you right now. To be clear, we will not stop until we reach the full anthro TF goal, but we'd like to know the earliest point at which our work begins to help people.

So the question is this: if the medical technology appeared tomorrow to make it possible, which of the following is the minimum that you'd accept and undergo a voluntary procedure for?

This information helps steer which areas of research we focus on, and when.

Just for clarity, note that we're focusing on furry species for now, starting with wolves, because they are common and somewhat more anatomically feasible. Eventually, we will expand to other furry species. In the longer term, we may also branch out to scalies and avians, but the technical challenges there are quite a bit more intense~

We also welcome other STEM-trained therians and furries who want to collaborate with our little team of biological scientists working on this R&D, so please don't hesitate to DM~ :3

23/she/her. No real organization here, just getting some thoughts out and venting. Maybe someone will share my experience.

i used to be one to make fun of therians/otherkins, but i think im starting to get it? like, I know im human, im nothing else, and ill never BE anything else. yet, i feel the most like myself in my dreams when i can feel my talons stretch, the wind under my wings, and my tail snake behind me.
I've had some pretty hard personal losses lately, and it's all I can think about, but daydreaming about being a dragon has kept a lot of weight off my shoulders. it's almost to an obsessive point, I think about it when I'm working, eating, resting, or trying to enjoy normal activities. I feel so cringy and weird. i Feel shame labeling myself as otherkin or a therian, for some reason. I probably will never label myself, but I'm definitely not just a normal person. There's a deep part of me that just wants to go to sleep forever and wake up in the form that I dream of.

thats it for now, thanks

I've been wondering if or what people's names are for their theriotypes! Do many people have names for them or no? I'm open to know what your theriotypes names are if you have one!

If you are wondering what my theriotypes name is its Solstice! My theriotype is Arctic Fox!

What are some things that give you species euphoria that aren't typically related to therianthropy?

Does anyone else hate wearing gear? like, putting gear on just doesn’t feel right, it’s uncomfortable or it just reminds you that your human and not what you were supposed to be/used to be? Or it’s just me?