Beast poetry, refers to a type of poem written in Latin from the 8th to the 11th century.

These poems draw upon an ancient literary tradition of anthropomorphic animals dating back into antiquity and exemplified by Aesop. This means that in addition to communicating, they do other human things. They walk upright, have jobs, play games, have human problems, and more. Commonly, these stories are shared across languages. Readers may find similar versions of stories from around the world. 

They are the immediate foundation for the flowering of Reynard literature that occurred in the 12th century. Elements from beast poetry have been adapted into subsequent works ranging from the Canterbury Tales to contemporary movies made with computer animation.

Some examples

De lupo (The Wolf)

Species comice (Comic Visions)

De pugna avium (The Battle of the Birds)