Invertebrate
An invertebrate is any animal that lacks an internal skeleton. This includes mollusks, arachnid (spiders), insects and anything similar.
Invertebrates inspire fear or disgust in many people for various reasons, including their appearance and the often unfamiliar crawly sensation that accompanies the touch of legs and feelers against the skin. Most are actually harmless to man and in many cases they play a much larger role in an ecosystem than other animals.
A number of people keep invertebrates as pets. Most common are tarantulas, mantises and Madagascan hissing roaches, but other species are known to be domesticable as well.
[edit] Invertebrates and the furry community
While not a greatly popular subject among the furry community, it is probably the most varying in concept. Most of the invertebrate characters in the fandom are female.
While some will prefer to make invertebrate anthros with full features such as exoskeleton, antennae, multiple limbs and abdomen, most make use of a minimal set of features - typically only antennae, wings (when present in the actual species) and body patterns, with exception of spiders, which are usually portrayed with 6 arms plus body patterns. Another known concept is the one of a drider, a D&D-based concept which consists of a taur form with the lower body being of a spider.
[edit] Examples
- Jiminy Cricket from Walt Disney's animated film: Pinnochio
- Charlotte from Charlotte's Web
- Sebastian from Disney's animated film: The Little Mermaid
- Q-Bee from Capcom's fighting game Darkstalkers
- Antz by Dreamworks
- A Bug's Life by Disney