A spirit animal is the creature whose temperament feels closest to your own. Many traditions have some version of the idea, from totems to animal guides, and most of us already know which animal friends compare us to: the watchful owl, the loyal wolf, the playful otter.
You do not have to take it literally for it to be useful. Picking the animal that fits you is an easy way to talk about how you handle stress, friendship and change.
A good place to start is the free spirit animal quiz, which matches your answers to an animal and explains its symbolism. Meaning guides for individual animals are at What Is Your Spirit Animal.