Re: Wolves
It's interesting that you bring this up as I've been wondering the same thing for a long time. I actually wrote an essay about it but it hasn't been edited yet. <!-- s:oops: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_redface.gif" alt=":oops:" title="Embarrassed" /><!-- s:oops: -->
From my own experience, wolves are by far, the most "popular" and widespread therian. This could be due to any number of reasons but I think the main one is that when people are first introduced to the idea of therianthropy, it is through werewolf legends. Now it's true that there are other shapeshifting stories around the world (the Norse berserkers, the Japanese kitsune, the African bouda, the Celtic selkie, the South American boto, etc.) but the werewolf legends are by far the most well known. Perhaps this has to do with the wolf's distribution worldwide. Canines are found on every major continent (accept for Antarctica) so it's no wonder that different cultures had stories about them. Big cats make up another large group in the therian community as do bears and foxes (obsiously this isn't all of them). All of these animals have a worldwide distribution. While animals like the platypus are restricted to just one continent. (And why aren't there any platypus therians? That would be interesting!)
I've seen a lot of people claim to be wolves when they first enter the online communities only to discover that they're something different later. Perhaps people use wolf as the default theriotype simply because they don't want to label themselves as 'I don't know'.
You also have to take into consideration the fact that wolves are easily compared to humans. From my essay that I'm writing on this topic: "The wolf is a symbol of strength, loyalty and perseverance. They’re also seen as a teacher, family oriented and protective. Humans by their very nature are also pack animals and many individuals respect qualities such as strength and loyalty. Humans also share the pack mentality in regards to its hierarchy as well as relying on each other to survive."
A lot of people associate wolf attributes to themselves so that could also be why there are so many wolf therians.
Personally, I'd tend to believe someone who claims to be a wolf that discovered this about themselves before they came to the online communities more. Now that's not to say that someone who says they're a wolf who was in therian forums first and then discovered that they were a wolf is wrong, as I'm sure some people are legitimate. However therianthropy, like being Otherkin, is something that an individual needs to discover on their own. As with all the other 'kin types, there are legitimate people and there are fluff heads. I suppose it would all depend on what information an individual has to back up their claims.
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