Doves
Frogs
In Native American traditions, the frog can represent life and fertility. In popular culture, this symbol was the inspiration behind a now-familiar logo: a cartoon frog holding the fingers of one hand in a peace sign. The logo may seem like it came out of the 1960s hippie counterculture, but its origins are actually more recent than that. It is the trademark of Peace Frogs, a clothing company that was founded in 1985, and named for the traditional Native American symbol (and possibly for the 1970 Doors song, "Peace Frog").
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Cranes
In Japan, the crane has long been seen as a sign of good luck. It is a tradition to fold 1,000 origami paper cranes, called senbazuru, to bring luck. In the 20th century, the tradition took on further significance after Sadako Sasaki, a girl who lived in Hiroshima when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the city, endeavored to make a senbazuru before she died of the leukemia she developed from the radiation. Every year, people leave senbazuru on a statue of Sadako Sasaki in Hiroshima Peace Park. A plaque on the statue reads, "Peace on Earth."
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Kingfisher
The kingfisher is also known by another name: the halcyon. This name comes from the Greek legend of the Halcyon, a bird who lived by the sea and had the power to calm the wind and the waves at will in order to protect its eggs when necessary. Hence, kingfishers remain a symbol of peace to this day, and the word "halcyon" has entered the English language as a synonym for calm and tranquility.
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Manatee
Manatees are the gentle giants of the sea, spending their days mostly sleeping and eating — plants only, as these peaceful creatures are herbivores. They are friendly, and even use hugging and kissing body language to greet and communicate with each other. The friendly, docile beasts have no prey and bring no harm to any other creatures. This is perhaps why in West African tradition, manatees are considered sacred, and killing one requires atonement.
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Sloths
Because of their slow-moving nature, sloths took their name from a word that means extreme laziness, but this isn't quite fair. The peaceful sloth isn't lazy as much as it is slow, quiet and passive. In fact, these gentle souls eat only leaves, and much of their behavior — economy of movement, silence and tree-dwelling—is about avoiding predators. Sloths take it easy in the name of peace.
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Butterflies
Butterflies are traditional symbols of peace and its associated states, such as love, life, tranquility and hope, as they are seen throughout the world and recognized for their literally transformative nature. Some Native American traditions hold the butterfly in particular reverence. The Hopi Indians, for example, perform a ceremonial butterfly dance in summer to help bring about peace, prosperity and happiness.
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