Spirit Animals are determine from the individual.
One can get a spirit animal of a cat or dog.
One can have a spirit animal of their traits like a lion or gorilla.
A few are blessed/cursed with spirit animals that are out-of-this-world...
I am blessed and cursed to be a spirit tamer, who can call upon their spiritual animals from the spirit realm. Those with can only see their spirits and they are collected for the government.
For me, I don't see my spirit animal. I told my parents and the neighborhood shaman that it is not within my sight.
Yet I can feel it.
Tamers with enough training and power, they can hold the abilities from their spirit animal. They can also summon them for the public to see.
At the right age and mind, I realized that calling my spirit animal...would destroy my home and country. Because my spiritual animal is the beast that ate 6 moons before casted away. A colossal sea snake that its entire body covered the bright sky.
My spiritual animal...or...beast is a colossal sea snake named Bakunawa or Baku. I would rather be known as the weakest tamer than destroy the world.