Cryptozoology 101

I’ve been reading stories of changelings and, in an attempt to classify them, run into a hiccup.
What are changelings?

Well, the first and most obvious thing is they can change shape. According to Sparky Brony’s H0P3

"	Oh, I can be anything. I could be a jumbo shampoo dispenser. I could turn into a car. But the farther away I am from my natural form, the more magic I use.

This leads me to assume some sort of invertebrate.

Changelings, would fall into the class of hexapod invertebrates (having 4 legs and 2 wings) and are often described as having a chitinous exoskeleton. They are commonly described as having compound eyes but here’s where the similarities end. To be classified as an insect you also need to have a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), and a pair of antennae.

Like Insects, Changelings are described as hatching from eggs, and go through “growth cycles".

"

The immature stages often differ from the adults in structure, habit, and habitat. Groups that undergo four-stage metamorphosis often have a nearly immobile pupa. Insects that undergo three-stage metamorphosis lack a pupa, developing through a series of increasingly adult-like nymphal stages. Insect growth is constrained by the inelastic exoskeleton, so development involves a series of molts.

so that tracts.

The higher level relationship of the insects is unclear. Some, such as earwigs, provide maternal care, guarding their eggs and young. And I’d like to believe that changelings, as a sapient species, provide this level of care.

"

Awakening from disturbing dreams had her popping her head up, looking around frantically. She saw her eggs and the one creature hanging peacefully. She stood up, checking on her eggs. Should she hatch them now? Rushing changeling eggs and dumping too much love into them will cause them to hatch, but the drones will not be as powerful. If she needed a massive number to assault another hive, or to invade a pony city, underdeveloped drones would do just fine. But for building a new hive, she needed to take her time, give them small doses, let their bodies and minds develop over weeks and possibly months before the new grubs are hatched.

I wonder if changelings aren’t closer to being an arthropod?  Admittedly they don’t have 8 limbs  but the closest thing i could come up with is:

Kingdom:  Animalia
Phylum:  Arthropoda
Subphylum:  Imiator
Order:  Xiphosura
Family:  metamorphosis empathica

Other Fun Insect Facts:
Insects breathe air through a system of paired openings along their sides, connected to small tubes that take air directly to the tissues. The blood therefore does not carry oxygen; it is only partly contained in vessels, and some circulates in an open hemocoel.

Insect vision is mainly through their compound eyes, with additional small ocelli. Many insects can hear, using tympanal organs, which may be on the legs or other parts of the body. Their sense of smell is via receptors, usually on the antennae and the mouthparts.

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Added:	2 months ago 14 Feb 2026 15:08 CET

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