{"id":360937,"date":"2026-02-28T14:40:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T14:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/360937\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T14:40:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T14:40:15","slug":"argentine-teens-say-they-identify-themselves-as-non-human-animals-in-latest-viral-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/360937\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentine teens say they identify themselves as non-human animals in latest viral trend"},"content":{"rendered":"

BUENOS AIRES (AP) \u2014 On a recent Sunday, a Buenos Aires<\/a> plaza transformed into a makeshift wilderness for an unusual group of teenagers.<\/p>\n

Sof\u00eda, wearing a lifelike beagle mask, ran across the grass on all fours. Nearby, 15-year-old Aguara leapt through the air, clearing an obstacle course while imitating the precise movements of a Belgian breed dog. Others dressed as cats and foxes perched in the branches of trees, keeping their distance from curious onlookers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Youths<\/p>\n

Youths climb a tree during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, at a square in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

Youths climb a tree during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, at a square in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

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It was the latest gathering of \u201ctherians,\u201d individuals who say they identify mentally, spiritually or psychologically with non-human animals. The trend has taken over Argentine social media over the past few months, gaining traction on platforms like TikTok<\/a>, where the hashtag #therian has surpassed 2 million posts, with Argentina<\/a> leading all other Latin American countries in engagement. The surge has drawn the attention of influencers and media outlets alike, sparking reactions that range from laughter and bewilderment to outright anger.<\/p>\n

And as the movement gains traction, psychologists are stepping in to analyze the phenomenon and its place in public discourse.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Youths<\/p>\n

Youths walk through a park during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

Youths walk through a park during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

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Aguara, who claims to identify as a Belgian Malinois and counts her age as the equivalent of two years and two months in dog years, says she\u2019s a lot like any other teenager.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wake up like a normal person and live my life like a normal person,\u201d she said. \u201cI simply have moments when I like being a dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the leader of what she calls her \u201cpack,\u201d Aguara \u2014 the name she identifies with \u2014 boasts more than 125,000 followers on TikTok and coordinates regular meetups around the Argentine capital.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A youth wears a dog mask during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

A youth wears a dog mask during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

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Aru, a 16-year-old who wore a seal mask to the park meetup, said she considers herself part of the \u201cotherpaw\u201d branch of therians: individuals who wear masks and tails or move on all fours just for fun. \u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily about identifying as an animal,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

She reckons the therian trend took off in Argentina because of the country\u2019s \u201cfairly free\u201d environment. For other young Argentines, the movement has provided a vital community where they can feel truly accepted.<\/p>\n

Should parents be worried?<\/p>\n

D\u00e9bora Pedace, a psychologist and director of the Integral Therapeutic Center in Buenos Aires, acknowledged that the phenomenon generates a complex mix of confusion, laughter and even anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a psychological standpoint, this is a symbolic identification with an animal,\u201d Pedace said. \u201cIt becomes pathological or alarming only when it turns into a deeply rooted belief and the person fully assumes the role of an animal, potentially leading to self-harm or hurting others.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An animal mask sits on the floor during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

An animal mask sits on the floor during a gathering of therians, people who say they identify as non-human animals, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rodrigo Abd)<\/p>\n

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___<\/p>\n

Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUENOS AIRES (AP) \u2014 On a recent Sunday, a Buenos Aires plaza transformed into a makeshift wilderness for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360938,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[273],"tags":[100,394,53317,13642,168273,18,3334,135,19,17,11992,41901,133,13647,8551,461,66],"class_list":["post-360937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-argentina","tag-buenos-aires","tag-central-america","tag-dbora-pedace","tag-eire","tag-general-news","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-latin-america","tag-oddities","tag-science","tag-south-america","tag-teens","tag-wildlife","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116148779383986681","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}