All therians have at least one theriotype, for some, it is easy to discern what species they are, but it can be a lot more difficult for others. Many therians overthink when trying to find their theriotype, so it's important to remember a few things.
Your theriotype isn’t necessarily a direct reflection of your personality (the exception to this are suntherians), you could be a house cat who loves water, or a wolf who enjoys being pet and playing with toys.
If your personality "shows" that you are an animal you don’t actually identify as, then it’s not your theriotype. Your theriotype is the animal you are, not what you feel like being/choose to be.
Do NOT rely on things like quizzes (such as this) to discover your theriotype. No one knows your theriotype besides you.
Remember, research is necessary in order to be certain of your theriotype, but it’s completely normal (and relatively common) to get your theriotype wrong at first. And it’s also common to be a polytherian; never rule out the possibility that you are one.
Starting you’re journey[]
Why do you think you’re a therian?[]
All therians identify as an animalistic non-human creature and aren’t fully human, so if that applies to you, you may be a therian. Things such as wanting to be non-human or experiencing animalistic behaviours don’t automatically mean you’re a therian; if you identify as fully human, you aren’t a therian.
Why are you a therian?[]
But do you know why you are a therian? How did your therianthropy originate? (see Spiritual Therianthropy and Psychological Therianthropy for more information on this)
If you know what caused your therianthropy, that is a great place to start. For example, if your therianthropy is caused by imprinting, it’s best to prioritise seeing if you identify as any of the species that could have caused the imprinting.
However, it is completely normal to be unsure of the origin of your therianthropic identity at first. Feel free to pause and take time to create a list of possible causes, or skip this step and come back to it later. This step is not the be-all end-all for discovering your theriotype.
Take notes of your experiences[]
Separate your theriotype from your humanside, this allows you to know what your theriotype acts like. Do you have a wolf theriotype because you prefer to be in a group, or are you not a wolf and are just naturally social and preferring to be around others is part of your humanside?
It may be helpful to create lists to characterise your experiences, whether they’re related to your humanside, therioside, or could be from either.
Take notes on any shifts you may experience (not all therians experience shifts, however). But it’s important to note that animalistic behaviours, which are commonly experienced in mental-related shifts, don’t only occur during shifts. And even contherians (who don’t experience mental shifts) may feel more life expressing their theriotype through vocals, even if they didn’t have a change in mindset/mental shift, since they are always both their theriotype and human.
Some good things to ask yourself and write down are: what food does your therioside crave (carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore)? Do you rely on your fight or flight instincts? Do you experience phantom shifts, what limbs do you experience?
Do keep in mind that this step can take as long as you want/need it to.
Figuring out what it could be[]
Broad groups[]
If you're sure that you’re a therian and have a good idea of what your theriotype could be, the next thing to do is research. Rely on the notes you have taken, what your therioside experiences, craves, and what you experience during shifts (if you experience them). Recurring patterns remove the possibility of accidentally relying on cameo shifts and should give a good idea of what to search for.
If you experience phantom shifts, focus on the basics of what you experience. Do you have feathers, fur, scales, or something else? Do you have a tail? Do you have wings, do they have feathers or not?
But, before you immediately try to find your exact species, focus on broad groups/taxonomic ranks. Such as class (Mammalia/mammals, Reptilia/reptiles, Aves/birds, etc.), and order (Carnivora, Squamata, Accipitriformes, etc.).
Only rule out possible theriotypes if you know, for certain, you don’t identify as it. And remember, only you will know what your theriotype is, you know yourself and who you are better than anyone else.
Focusing on the specifics[]
Now you know the broad group you fit into, research the animals that are part of that group. Rely on your experiences (primarily mental and phantom shifts), to narrow down all possibilities.
Phantom shifts can be incredibly helpful, since they reflect your exact species. Do you have a tail, what shape/how long is it? If you have fur, how long is it? Do you have a tail, how long is it? Have you felt ears, what shape are they? Do you have claws, are they retractable or not? Do you have a snout, what shape/size is it? Do you have horns or antlers, what shape are they?
Mental shifts and animalistic behaviours can tell a lot, too. Focus on your involuntary vocals and actions (these are not only experienced during shifts).
Compare your experiences to all possibilities within your broad group, this should eliminate many possibilities. Adding all possible theriotypes to a list can help you keep track of them too.
Some therians identify as an entire clade or genus (cladotherian, and genutherian), they can’t narrow down their list from here (or at all) due to them identifying as every single animal in the group.
What is your exact species?[]
This is where research becomes necessary, gather all of your remaining possible theriotypes and research, research, research.
Focus on what feels right to you, when you find your theriotype, it may feel like looking in a mirror, since you are looking at your internal self. If you experience this, always make sure to research the animal to ensure you are correct and that it matches your experiences.
Look at the habitats all your possibilities live in, if your therioside pulls you to a specific biome. All research is good research.
And hopefully, by doing this, you can find your exact species. But this may not be the end of your searching and self-discovery.
Is your theriotype a subspecies or colour morph?[]
Many species have different colour morphs and subspecies. For example, a red fox therian may want to know if they're a European red fox or an American red fox. And a cheetah therian may realise that they have a coat pattern that matches a king cheetah instead.
Once again, if you're not entirely sure, research, research, research.