World Building: How Fauna Can Help Shape Your World

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Nants ingonyama, bagithi Baba! An odd way to start a world building blog you might think, but as far as I'm concerned life has offered me far too few opportunities to write in Zulu, and, when presented, one should grab those opportunities with both hands.

As you probably know that is the opening line to The Circle of Life from The Lion King. It translates to, ‘Here comes a lion, father’, which is an irrelevant piece of information to this particular blog but I felt it would be remiss of me to not share that, in case you didn’t know.

What is relevant is the title and chorus of the song; The Circle of Life. The Lion King is on the surface a coming of age story about family, legacy and revenge, but its deeper message is an ecological one. It is about the balance of nature and how every creature, great and small, plays a seismic role in the balance of the world.

Your world should be no different.

Animals — real, imagined, magical, or mundane — shape ecosystems, cultures, myths, and economies. They are hunted and worshipped, ridden and feared, milked, mourned, and mythologised. They fill the skies, crawl through the shadows, and shape what people eat, believe, and become. Whether animals are relevant to your story or not, their absence will be felt.

In this blog we’ll explore how to make fauna, both familiar and fantastical, an integral part of your setting’s story, structure, and soul, and help you close your world’s circle of life.

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1. Everything the Light Touches: Common and Rare Creatures

The first question you need to ask yourself about animals is simple: What lives where, and why?

Every habitat has its own native creatures, shaped by climate and resources. These creatures often define a place. Polar bears in the Artic, lions in the savanna, mountain goats in the…well, in the mountains.

• What types of animals are commonly and rarely found in forests, deserts, mountains, oceans, or magical realms?
• Are they real-world species, fantastical inventions, or hybrids of both?
• If the animals are unique, what makes them feel like they belong in the world’s ecosystem?
• If they’re familiar, how are they interpreted differently by your cultures?

The creatures that inhabit your world should mirror the tone of your story. A gritty sci fi crime thriller will in theory not be improved by mega packs of wild but friendly puppies roaming the world (although on second thought, please try and write that!)

Another thing to remember in regards to animals and locations, is that areas are sometimes named after the creatures that inhabit it. Think; Buffalo, NY, Bear Mountain, Snake Island. Its good way of setting up tension and stakes. If your characters have to pass through Wolf Creek, before the first step is even taken, the audience will already fear for them.

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2. Born to be Different: Biological Diversity

Fauna helps defines biodiversity, and biodiversity helps defines the complexity of your world.

• How diverse is your world’s animal life in form, size, and function?
• How does species variety differ between regions and climates?
• What environments are dense with life and which are strangely empty?

A wide array of fauna makes each region distinct, and each ecosystem unpredictable. If your characters travel though your world, the extent the creatures around them change can help make the world feel bigger.

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3. Born to Survive: Adaptation and Environment

Evolution and adaptation are what make animals feel believable, even when they’re fantastical.

Creatures survive by adapting to terrain, threats, magic, and climate. If you’re inventing a creature, think what would happen in nature to help them survive and thrive in the particular terrain they inhabit: camels have humps to sustain themselves in the desert. Maybe mountain goats develop ironclad hooves to cross active volcanoes.

• How have different species evolved to survive in their particular environments?
• Are there animals uniquely adapted to extreme conditions like magical wastelands, sub-zero tundras, or cloud jungles?
• How do magical forces influence biology?

When adaptation reflects the circumstances, whether the terrain or magical forces, animals feel like they were born from the world… not just placed in it. This adds a sense of realism to even the most fanatical creatures.

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4. The Circle of Life: Ecosystem Dynamics

Animals never live in isolation. They’re part of a vast web, contributing to the rise and fall of entire ecosystems.

Pollinators help the lawn grow, grazers keep the lawn tidy, predators keep grazers populations in check, and scavengers clean up afterwards.

• How do different species interact within the ecosystem?
• Are there keystone animals that significantly affect land, water, or even magic?
• What happens when one species vanishes, migrates, or multiplies too quickly?

As mine and your King, Mufasa put it:

“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.”

May he rest in peace.

Tying fauna to ecosystem balance makes the world feel organic… and vulnerable.

You do not even need to use our laws of nature or physics. As long as the adaptation and evolution happening in your world is internally consistent then the audience can believe it.

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5. The Hunt and the Hunted: Food Chains

Every living thing eats, and fears being eaten.

Some creatures hunt with strength. Others with venom, deception, speed, or magic. Meanwhile, prey species develop defensive adaptations, like camouflage. Humans and other sapient beings disrupt the chain by using weapons, tools, or through farming.

• What are the primary predator-prey relationships in your world?
• How do these relationships influence creature behaviour, migration, or even design?
• Where do humans or dominant species fall in the food chain?

As mine and your King, Mufasa put it in response to his petulant son:

Simba: “But, Dad, don't we eat the antelope?”

Mufasa: “Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.”

May he rest in peace.

A functional food chain grounds even your strangest creations in logic and helps you develop tension through scarcity and survival. Remember: there’s always a bigger fish.

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6. Mans’ Best Friends: Human-Animal Relations

Animals are not always threats. They are tools, partners, friends, and family.

From guard dogs to lap dogs, from war horses to pack mules, animals are part of everyday life in many cultures. Their role says a lot about the society they’re part of. Who has the time and money to keep a pet? Who can ride a horse and who has to walk next to it?

• What animals have been domesticated for food, labor, transport, protection, or companionship?
• How do different cultures perceive or use these creatures?
• Are some animals a mark of wealth, caste, or heritage?
• Are there species that are enslaved, revered, or considered family?

These relationships add emotional depth and offer ways to explore class, tradition, and belief.

(Unfortunately Mufasa had little to contribute on this particular subject.)

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7. Magic and Monsters

In a fantasy world, animals can be part of the magical order, not just the natural one. Some may carry enchantments in their blood, feathers, or bones. Others might act as conduits for spells or guardians of sacred sites. Magical creatures often blur the line between beast and being.

• Do any animals possess magical traits, powers, or energies?
• How do they interact with existing magic systems?
• Can they communicate? Do they understand spells, emotions, or language?
• Are they hunted for magical resources or protected by law or prophecy?

When magic and biology evolve together, your world gains creatures that are meaningful, methodical and mystical.

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8. Myths and Monsters

A beast might be remembered more for what it represents than what it physically is.

Think: St George and the dragon. Morrigan, the shape-shift into a crow who would appear before battles. The brave lion, the noble stag. Often through folklore and myths animals take on a meaning and relevance in the collective memory as representing something more than the sum of their parts.

• What animals or hybrid creatures appear in your world’s myths, folklore, and ancestral stories?
• Are any tied to gods, curses, origin tales, or doomsday legends?
• Do totems or spirit animals play a role in identity, ritual, or art?
  

Even if they are not real, or never have been real, these beings/creatures shape how people explain the world. They can help show how people view themselves and their history, by showing what they choose to remember and mythicise.

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9. Faith and Fur: Cultural and Religious Roles

From divine messengers to sacred offerings, animals often appear in holy texts, ancestral rituals, and as cultural icons. The snake in Eden. Cerberus, the three headed dog guarding the gates of Hades. The Hindus worship cows.

Entire societies may shape not just their beliefs but their clothing, flags, or architecture around sacred creatures.

• Are there animals that are considered holy, cursed, ancestral, or symbolic?
• How are animals used in religion, art, language, or social identity?
• Are there animistic beliefs where all animals have souls — or only certain ones?

There are no snakes in Ireland. It has been told that St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is the reason for this, banishing the dastardly creatures from that green and fair isle. Of course this is nonsense. There are no snakes simply because its an island and no snakes ever got there. But the fact that this story, this myth wrapped up in religion, has perpetuated for so long speaks volumes about the Irish faith.

Animals in faith give shape to values. They can spark worship, war, or unity, or simply tell a story about the people who use them in their stories, by showing us how they use them in their stories.

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10. From Hide to Harvest: Economic Role of Fauna

Fauna feeds more than just bellies. It fuels markets and status.

Hides become tents and cloaks. Bones become tools or talismans. Milk, eggs, bones, venom; all may be traded, taxed, or banned. Entire regions might depend on whale- hunting, silk-weaving spiders, or waterproof wool.

• What animals are harvested for food, resources, or trade?
• Which parts of the animal are most valuable?
• Are some animals sacred or illegal to kill?
• How do these practices shape the local or global economy?

The economic advantages of fauna often explains why people inhabit certain areas: think of the communities in America that still live on the frontier of the wilderness today, brought there by their ancestors working as trappers in the area.

The economic role of animals ties your world’s survival to the wild.

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11. Care and Conquest: Conservation and Ethics

Not all societies treat animals the same way. And not all see them as lesser.

Some may worship nature. Others may exploit it without hesitation. Cultural taboos, philosophical debates, or economics may define how creatures are treated.

• What are the dominant views on animal rights, ethics, or welfare?
• Are there protected species or sanctuaries?
• Are there poachers, traffickers, or industries that profit from extinction?
• Are their conservation groups, or magical guardians that attempt to protect them?

Exploring ethics adds realism and gives your characters moral dilemmas to wrestle with. It makes every mouthful a meaningful decision.

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12. That Shadowy Place: Threats to Wildlife

As that treacherous little brat, Simba found out when he disobeyed a direct order from mine and your king, Mufasa: bad things can happen.

Natural disasters, warfare, habitat loss, invasive species, or going to the damn shadow lands when your father explicitly told you not to — breathe — may put animals at risk. Some people fight to save them. Others ignore the signs until it's too late. A few might even benefit.

• What natural or artificial threats endanger wildlife?
• Are diseases, environmental disasters, or magical disruptions affecting your fauna?
• Who is responding to these threats… and who isn’t?

Crises involving fauna provide tension, urgency, and powerful commentary on how your world treats the vulnerable.

As fauna is so linked with food and commerce, any events that turn the animal kingdom upside down, will fundamentally affect every other aspect and inhabitant of your world.

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13. The Wild Path: Travel and Adventure

It is often said that man’s best friend is the humble, loyal dog. This is far from true. The horse is man’s best friend. For millennia the progression of humankind has happened in no small part through the surefooted dependency of horses. They have helped improve life in a myriad of different ways. Chiefly amongst them, transportation.

A creature might be a mount, a guide, or an obstacle.

• What creatures enable or obstruct travel?
• Are there beasts used for scouting, guarding, or navigating the unknown?
• What are the risks of encountering wild fauna during an adventure?

Beyond horses, what mode of transportation best suits your world and story? Does the terrain, like in Avatar, lend itself to jumping on the back of a massive bird and plugging your pony tail in? Or, like in Dune, does riding a sand worm, how ever inconvenient it might seem, show your character has mastered even the toughest features of their surroundings?

Animals don’t just us offer a ride, but companionship on long journeys. Having to look after or protect your steed adds stakes and offers a convenient thing to talk to if your character is alone (and perhaps even sneak some exposition in!)

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14. The Mind of the Beast: Behaviour and Intelligence

Not all animals act by instinct alone.

Some creatures plan, remember, grieve, or deceive. A wolf might mourn. A crow might warn. A very hungry caterpillar might feel somewhat forlorn.

• Do any species display higher reasoning, problem-solving, or emotional depth?
• Can they communicate or cooperate?
• Are there creatures on the edge of, or are fully sentient?

If your world is inhabited by creatures with superior mental facilities than our own (our own world I mean) then think about how this would affect their relationship with the human or human-like inhabitants and how they’re treated. 

Is it okay to hunt a deer who got a B+ in a recent mathematics test? Probably not… C- on the other hand… pass me my gun.

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15. The Great Migration: Movement and Memory

Some animals help shape the seasons.

In the north when winter is approaching, a million birds fly south, leaving the land behind, eerily silent, waiting for the darkness to descend. Those exact same birds turn up in the south and suddenly its bright and lively, and time for the beach.

Migrations bring colour, noise, disruption and can leave destruction in their wake.

• What animals migrate across your world and why?
• How do these patterns affect culture, economy, or religion?
• Are there legends tied to their coming or going?

Migrations add rhythm and history to your world. They can bring times of plenty and leave times of scarcity. They can destroy crops and mark festivals.

Its the kind of detail one can easily over look when world building, but the kind of detail that adds real complexity and makes the world feel really lived in. Not just by your characters, but by every living thing.

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16: Under the Sea: Aquatic Life

Oceans, rivers, lakes, swamps, and even magical underwater realms offer a whole ecosystem just waiting to be populated. These places are often vast, mysterious, and largely unexplored, which makes them the perfect space for strange, beautiful, or horrifying creatures.

• What species live in your world’s oceans, rivers, lakes, or underwater cities?
• Are there apex predators like krakens or aquatic dragons?
• How have these creatures adapted to darkness, pressure, magical currents, or submerged ruins?
• Are underwater ecosystems exploited by surface cultures? Or left untouched, feared, even worshipped?

Also consider: how do these creatures affect land-based life? Do they migrate upstream and change the seasons? Do entire fishing communities rely on seasonal catches of magical eels?

Your world’s water bodies offer all the above and more. They are just as important to the eco system as anything that can be found on land (if not more so), and they certainly should not be forgotten.

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17. A Bug’s Life: Insects

They’re easy to overlook, unless of course they’re the size of a horse or forming a hive mind bent on devouring your capital city. 

In the real world, insects are essential. They pollinate plants, break down waste, and serve as a foundational food source for countless animals (and, in some cultures, humans too).

In world building, insects can add a layer of realism, horror, spirituality, or innovation. They can be pests, pets, plagues, prophets, or producers of precious materials.

• What insect-like creatures exist in your world?
• Are they familiar, fantastical, or both?
• Do they play a role in agriculture, magic, industry, or warfare?
• Are there cultures that revere insects as important or even sacred, using them in rituals, or breed them for silk, honey, or venom?
• How do people deal with insect infestations, swarms, or diseases carried by bugs?
• Do any societies eat insects as part of their staple diet — or consider them taboo?

Insects also offer a goldmine of inspiration for alien biology and social structures. Ants, termites, bees, and wasps operate in hierarchies, with workers, drones, and queens. And don’t forget their darker uses: paralytic poisons, plague-bearing fleas, blood-drinking bugs, or mind-controlling parasites.

In the right hands (or mandibles), an insect can be more terrifying than any dragon.

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Conclusion

From the mighty dragon to the enchanted frog, from the noble lion to an idiotic gold fish; every creature plays its part. Whether you’re building a sprawling epic, a gritty frontier tale, or a gentle folk tale, animals cam help shape the terrain, the tension, and the texture of your world.

They are myth and meat, magic and machinery. They pull ploughs, guard gates and guide souls. Some hunt. Some are hunted. Some are holy. Even if your story never centres on them, their presence (or absence) will be felt. In culture. In commerce. In the sky above and the silence of the ocean deep.

So populate your world not just with people, but with life. Let it crawl and soar, slither and stampede. Let your characters eat, fear, ride, worship, or even talk to animals.

When you have created animals for your world, you must say to them, in the words of a certain wise king (mine and your’s):

“You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.”

May he rest in peace.

(Oh yeah… Mufasa dies. Spoiler alert.)

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