Species

Species refers to the biological type of the characters which appear in the Animal Crossing series.  It is not a term directly used in-game, though it is referenced by several characters throughout the franchise. This page only addresses the species of the sentient characters rather than the various bugs, fish, fossils, and other beings that can be captured or appear in furniture. Gyroids are a noted exception to this rule given at least one gyroid, Lloid, is sentient.  

In total, there are six species: animals, gyroids, humans, mystical beings, snowmen, and spirits. Whereas most species do not appear to be spiciest and interact harmoniously amongst each other, some animal villagers make disparaging remarks to the player about being a human. It is, however, clear that the sentient species treat insentient species inferiorly, exemplified by the Museum displaying bugs and fish, villagers and the player keeping bugs and fish in containers in their home, and gyroids being used as furniture objects.

Animal species are easily the most prevalent series in the game and humans appear to be the rarest.

Animal Species

Villager Species

The following is a list of species of the villagers. See their respective pages for more information:

• Alligator
• Anteater
• Bear
• Bird
• Bull
• Cat
• Chicken
• Cub
• Deer
• Dog
• Duck
• Eagle
• Elephant
• Frog
• Goat
• Gorilla
• Hamster
• Hippo
• Horse
• Kangaroo
• Koala
• Lion
• Monkey
• Mouse
• Octopus
• Ostrich
• Pig
• Tiger
• Wolf

Alligators & Crocodiles

Alligators have been referenced as "crocodiles" and since there are no villagers classified as crocodiles, it is assumed these two species are merged for the purposes of species in the games. Like horses, the alligator classification includes at least one villager, Drago, who appears to be a dragon rather than an alligator or crocodile.

Bears & Cubs

There is a default bear species, but there are also cubs, which appear to be smaller versions of bears. Bears are the only species wherein smaller variants are considered their own unique species, e.g. Katie, a kitten, is still considered a cat.

Birds & Subspecies

There is a default bird species, however, several birds are grouped into different species entirely: chicken, duck, eagle, ostrich, owl, peacock, pelican, penguin, pigeon, seagull, and turkey. Birds and owls are the only species in this group which seem to vary in sentience, exemplified by the difference between Twiggy and the Yellow Bird and Blathers and the White Owl.

Bulls & Cows

Bulls (male) and cows (female) are the only group of species to have a different species for each gender.

Deer & Reindeer

Deer, such as Beau, and the only known reindeer, Jingle, differentiate themselves despite bearing noticeable similarities, not unlike bears and cubs.

Dog Breeds

Dogs are the only animal species with significant variances based on their breed. In addition to the default dog breed, there are also akitas, bulldogs, chihuahuas, jack russells, poodles, shih tzus, and spaniels.

Frogs & Octopi

Like the difference between Blathers and the White Owl, there appears to be a variance in sentience between frogs and octopi given non-sentient frogs and octopi can be caught as fish.

Horses

Like alligators, the horse classification includes villager species who appear to be unique from horses. Examples include Julian, who appears to be a unicorn; Papi, who appears to be an okapi; and Savannah, who appears to be a zebra; 

Tigers

Ostriches & Sub-subspecies

Ostriches, considered a subspecies of birds, have sub-subspecies within them, making them the only group with a sub-subspecies. This group contains Flora, a flamingo; Phoebe, a phoenix; Queenie, an emu; Phil, a cassowary; and the cranes Blanche, Cranston, and Gladys.

Robots

Two villagers, Ribbot and Sprocket, are obviously robots, but are classified with the rest of the villagers which look similar to them, frog and ostrich, respectively.

Wolves

Special Character Species

The following is a list of species of the animal special characters. See their respective pages for more information:

• Alpaca
• Axolotl
• Beaver
• Boar
• Camel
• Chameleon
• Fox
• Frill-Necked Lizard
• Giraffe
• Hedgehog
• Mole
• Otter
• Panther
• Raccoon
• Reindeer
• Sea Lion
• Skunk
• Sloth
• Tapir
• Tortoise

Gyroids

Main article: Gyroids

The Gyroid species seems to vary in sentience, like the special character owl species and the White Owl. The vast majority of gyroids appear to be unable to speak or possess any awareness; however, some gyroids, such as Lloid, seem to be relatively self-aware and capable of holding jobs and performing tasks.

Coco, a villager, is classified as a rabbit, but has the appearance of a gyroid.

Humans

The player as well as, assumably, the player's parents are the only known humans in Animal Crossing. Humans' appearance can vary widely with notable differences in skin color, hair color, and face styles. Cosmeticians such as Harriet can help humans edit their appearance. Mii Masks are cartoonish versions of the human appearance, and Miis, therefore, are not considered a distinct species from humans.

Mystical Beings

Two characters in Animal Crossing, Farley and Serena, either claim to be mystical or appear that way. Whereas Serena states that she is a fountain goddess despite her appearance as a dog, Farley simply has no origin and may, therefore, be human, though it is clear he has the ability to use magic via his interactions at the Wishing Well.

Phoebe, a villager, is classified as an ostrich, but appears to be a phoenix, a mystical being.

Snowmen

Main article: Snowmen

Snowmen can be created during Winter by the player rolling snowballs on top of each other. There are four known variants of snowmen: Snowtyke, Snowboy, Snowmam, and Snowman. They refer to one another as family members, suggesting a consciousness equivalent to sentience, and, perhaps, reincarnation.

Spirits

Spirits, sometimes referred to as a "specter", appear to be some form of the undead, potentially of the other species. Jack and Wisp are the only known sentient spirits, though Jack's species is sometimes listed as "pumpkin". Insentient spirits can be collected as items in-game, marking a difference in sentience between spirits similar to that of gyorids. Wisp and other spirits are only able to appear at night in the outdoors, but Wisp can be summoned via a genie lamp indoors.

Lucky, a villager, is classified as a dog, but appears to be a mummy thereby implying some form of life after death, like Wisp.