Personalized animal character created by the furry fandom
"Fursonas" redirects here. For the 2016 documentary film, see Fursonas (film).
Three people dressed in fursuits, representative of their respective fursonas.
A fursona is a personally claimed persona resembling an anthropomorphic animal adopted by a member of the furry fandom.[1][2] Fursonas can provide numerous roles for the creator. According to The New Science of Narcissism, 95% of those in the furry fandom have at least one fursona;[3][page needed] with the Anthropomorphic Research Project estimating that the average furry has between two and three fursonas over the course of their life.[4]
Some individuals' fursonas are acted out primarily online,[5] but also at furry conventions and in other public spaces. Acting out one's fursona in person may involve wearing a fursuit, a physical representation of a fursona, or pieces thereof, depending on the activity.[6][7] For example, a fursuiter may choose to only wear the head of the suit in lower temperature environments to reduce the risk of overheating. Another small minority express a desire to become, or already see themselves as, their fursona species. These people may additionally identify as therians or otherkin.[8]