Animal Spirits serve as your guide and come into your life for a purpose; however, they choose you, you do not choose them.  Animal Spirit guides can also be represented by symbols or can simply  be those animals that you have always felt a connection to.  Animal spirit guides will come into your life when you are in need of their specific talents.  And when you have grown and are in no need of their assistance they will move on.  Animal spirit guides are not your totem animal ,though they are similiar.