Animal

Animals are a type of minor creature in Splatoon. They are distinguished from the other species by the fact that they have seem to have undergone little to no changes compared to their ancestors. This is in contrast to intelligent, humanoid creatures such as Inklings and Octarians, which have changed drastically over time.

Sparrows
Sparrows are the most common animal seen in Splatoon. They appear very similar to Eurasian tree sparrows, but are much more round. This is either due to fatness, thick feathers, or simply stylization.

They perch at various locations and sit chirping and looking around, but when the player approaches, they immediately take off into the air. If the player moves a sufficient distance away and is not looking, they will return to the same spot and resume chirping.

Callie apparently finds sparrows very cute.



Inkopolis

 * One sparrow perches on the first small pole to the east of the Arcade Machine.
 * A sparrow sits among the plants at the southern edge of the Plaza.
 * Just south of Judd, a sparrow sits on the ground next to a railing.
 * A pair of sparrows sit on the ground in front of Spyke.
 * A lone sparrow perches above the middle part of the Shooting Range.

Stages

 * Two pairs of sparrows sit near each Spawn Point in Flounder Heights.
 * Sparrows usually sit around the trees and grass areas of Urchin Underpass. There is also a lone sparrow on a power line near the Spawn Point.

Octo Valley

 * A sparrow perches on the edge of the roof of Cap'n Cuttlefish's shack.
 * Two sparrows sit on the corner of a wall next to DJ Octavio's snowglobe.
 * Two sparrows perch on a small railing on the edge of a grated walkway, next to the Kettle for Mission 2.
 * Sparrows can also be found in various missions, such as Floating Sponge Garden and Flooder Junkyard. It is unknown how they get into the Octarians' underground caves, as it is unlikely that they can enter Kettles.

Gulls
Gulls are found near bodies of water, gliding in large circles in the air, usually in small groups. They appear to be some type of herring gull.

They do not react to the player's presence, but upon being hit by Ink, they will flap their wings indignantly and squawk. This is mentioned by Callie in regards to Saltspray Rig; she feels bad for them when they get inked.

Also on the topic of Saltspray Rig, Marie remarks that "seagulls are natural predators of squid", but there are no gulls in Splatoon that act aggressively towards Inklings.

Octo Valley

 * A small group of gulls flies around the Inkrail from Area 3 to Area 4.

Stages

 * A group of gulls flies in a "V" formation around Kelp Dome, seen out the windows.
 * Miscellaneous gulls are found flying at both Saltspray Rig and Hammerhead Bridge.

Butterflies
Butterflies are always seen flying about in groups. They come in white or yellow, and do not make noise or react to the player's presence. They are always found near vegetation.

Butterfly groups stay in a fixed area, but the individuals flying around within them are always changing; some will disappear and others will appear to take their place. The number of butterflies within a group at any given time is also not fixed, and can range from one to six depending on the location.

Inkopolis

 * Many butterflies are found among the plants at the southern edge of the Plaza.

Octo Valley

 * Some butterflies fly around under the western-most tree in Area 2.

Stages

 * A small group of butterflies is found at the patch of grass on each of the central areas of Bluefin Depot.



Nudibranchs
While nudibranchs themselves are not present in Splatoon, they are featured in many pieces of art at Museum d'Alfonsino. No two are alike, but they share two common features, the first being a pair of large appendages similar to rabbit or dog ears. While real-life nudibranchs do have these (called rhinophores), they are often smaller and almost always thinner, looking more like horns or eyestalks than ears. Their other common feature is their eyes; while real nudibranchs have small, very simple eyes, all nudibranchs depicted in Splatoon have large eyes similar to those of jellyfish. However, both of these traits may be a result of artistic license; the artwork is already quite stylized.

One piece of art shows an Inkling-like creature with a nudibranch on a leash, suggesting that they are kept as pets.

Cicadas
Cicadas are not seen, but heard singing in the background. They are present during the day and only at Flounder Heights.

The audio used for cicada songs is similar, if not identical, to that of the Brown Cicada, Walker Cicada, and Robust Cicada from the Animal Crossing series.

Crickets
Crickets, like cicadas, are only heard singing in the background, not seen.

Appearances

 * During Splatfests, which take place at night, crickets replace cicadas at Flounder Heights.
 * At Camp Triggerfish, crickets can be briefly heard when the player spawns.

Ducks
The ducks appear to be mallard ducks and two can be seen with eight ducklings on each side of the stage. The ducklings follow a parent, presumingly their father, due to the bright green neck feathers. Male mallard ducks have green neck feathers while female mallards have brown feathers overall in real life. If the player gets close enough to the ducks, quacking sounds can be heard. They do not react to player's presence.

Appearances

 * Ducks can be seen swimming at Snapper Canal from Splatoon 2, at the edge of the stage on the right of each Spawn Point near the water.