Fursona

A fursona is a personally claimed persona resembling an anthropomorphic animal adopted by a member of the furry fandom.

[4] Some individuals' fursonas are acted out primarily online,[5] but also at furry conventions and in other public spaces.

[6][7] For example, a fursuiter may choose to wear just the head of the suit in higher temperature environments to reduce the risk of overheating.

[2] According to Fred Patten, it was common for attendants to use their real names or nicknames at ConFurence (world's first furry convention) in 1989.

[10] Fursonas can provide numerous roles for the creator, whether it be idealized versions of their adopter, fleshed out roleplay characters, or digital mascots.

[13] They are popular species in the fandom, with fursuits and thousands of art pieces on Fur Affinity.

[13] Despite their popularity, a minority group of members of the fandom disapprove Dutch angel dragons' usage as a fursona due to them being viewed as trendy.

[17] A small minority believes that their chosen species was a past life, is a spirit guide, or that they were supposed to be born as such.

[5] Just as art is central to the furry fandom in general, it also plays a critical role in the creation and representation of fursonas.

Furries who are not artistic themselves may commission artwork of their fursona from other members of the fandom as part of the creation process.

[5] On average, furries rate their fursonas higher on all dimensions of the big five personality traits.

Plante, Courtney (December 8, 2023), Furscience: A Decade of Psychological Research on the Furry Fandom, Stephen Reysen, ISBN 9780997628838