Werebeasts

Werebeasts are a type of monster present in the Monster High universe. They are living monsters that possess both human and animal qualities.

Etymology
Therianthropy refers to the metamorphosis of humans into other animals. Therianthropes are said to change forms via shapeshifting. Therianthropes have long existed in mythology, appearing in ancient cave drawings.

Mythology
Werebeasts are used in a number of mythologies all over the world.

Some old Norse believed that berserkers could change into a partial beast form in battle if they ever needed to.

Popular culture
Werewolves are the one of the biggest icons in the horror industry. However the first movie feature an anthropomorphic werewolf was The Werewolf of London, from 1935. The 1941 film, The Wolf Man, is what launched Werewolves into popularity, doing much of what Dracula did for Vampires.

Description
There have been two major descriptions for werebeasts, those who are completely human and transform into animals, and those which are anthropomorhic, or human with animal qualities (and vice-versa).

Werebeasts in Monster High
Werebeasts in the Monster High are anthropomorphic creatures who do not transform. Clawdeen Wolf is the series' featured Werewolf character, as well as her siblings Clawd Wolf and Howleen Wolf, and friends Romulus, Dougey Brocko. They are for the most part human, with subtle animal qualities such as canine ears and fangs. A key feature in their monster heritage is their rapid hair growth, much to Clawdeen's displeasure, as she has to shave 2-3 times a day.

Clawdeen, Clawd, and Howleen are children of the werewolf seen in Universal's 1941 film The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney, Jr. The Wolf Man story is a familiar werewolf tale: a man is bitten by another werewolf, and is cursed with transformation each month on the night of the full moon.

Clawdeen shares several characteristics with the Lon Chaney, Jr. character, including the fact that she is covered head to toe with fur and has claws.

She also has trouble controlling her inner wolf when she sees a full moon, or a full moon-like object such as a spotlight.

Toralei Stripe, Meowlody, Purrsephone, and Catrine DeMew are werecats, which are much more animal like than their canine monster companions. Unlike Werewolves, they seem to be covered in fur, have tails, and even have cat-like noses in the webisodes. When Toralei was shown as a baby, she was literally just a kitten with human-like hair. Possible werecats include: the animal girl, catgirls and the catboys.

In "The Nine Lives of Toralei" there were four weredogs: a bulldog, a purple poodle and two unknown type of dogs.