Stereotyping Animals [Part 1]

So I will be looking at stereotypes of animals, this is all research for my short story I want to attempt to write. I want to characters to be symbols of human traits. Even if I wasn't doing this unit for my MA, I think its good knowledge to know because I use animals all the time in my illustrations and I use them to symbol how I feel or how I want the audience to feel. Other than naive deer or stubborn bull, I feel like this should be general knowledge for me.

Ants: Hard working to the point of losing all individuality. Less emphasised than with bees.
Antelopes and Gazelles: Gentle, graceful and very swift.
Baboons: Fiercer and more aggressive than other monkeys.
Badgers: Cranky, stubborn, tough but not evil.
Barracudas and Pikes: Cruel, ruthless and often evil.
Bats: Nocturnal, poor eyesight, sometimes bloodthirsty and sometimes eccentric and insane.
Bears: Intimidating and ferocious when provoked, but also calm, slow-moving and wise. Young cubs are portrayed as calm, cuddly and brave. ✷
Beavers: Industrious.
Bees: Hard-working, dutiful and territorial. Queen Bee is always stern.
Birds of Prey: Fierce, dignified and serious. ✷
Boars: Extremely aggressive and irritable, tough and quite dangerous if provoked. ✷
Bulls: Short-tempered, intimidating, tough and extremely strong, but somewhat stupid. ✷
Butterflies: Shy, meek and inoffensive as caterpillars, but bold and beautiful as adults.
Camels: Not very energetic, but slow and steady once they get going; they can endure any hardship. Cranky, stubborn and bad-tempered, but not actually aggressive. ✷
Cats: Clever, curious, and rather arrogant and vain. Aloof and independent, can be portrayed as manipulative and smug but also may be cute and heroic.
Chameleon: Often stealthy tricksters, portrayed as rather weird
Cheetahs: Known for their speed. 
Chickens: Cowards and prone to self-destructive panic.
Chimpanzees: Erudite and snarky.
Cockroaches: Dirty.
Cows: Contented and docile, not especially bright.
Coyotes and Jackals: Cunning and tricky. ✷
Crabs and Lobsters: Crabby, unhelpful and easily angered.
Cranes: Majesty, grace and strength without aggression. ✷
Crocodiles and Alligators: Lazy but strong, usually vicious bullies and more savage than other animals.
Crows and Ravens: Cunning and often ominous; an archetypal symbol of death. ✷
Cuckoos: A harbinger of spring and also being insane.
Deer: Delicate and unperilous. ✷
Dogs: Loyal and friendly, but not too bright and easily distracted. ✷
Dolphins: Cheery, playful, friendly, clever and extraordinarily graceful.
Donkeys and Mules: Humble, hardworking and somewhat stubborn. ✷
Ducks: Clumsy but possessing a strong will and perhaps a hidden grace.



✷ symbol is a mental note for me for potential characters
Baboon artwork by Miroco Machiko
Bear artwork by Jen Collins
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