While there are many popular images of aliens in science fiction and speculative thought, some common depictions include the following:
- Grey Aliens: Often described as having a small body, large head, and big, black, almond-shaped eyes.
- Reptilians: These are thought to resemble lizards or reptiles, sometimes depicted as humanoid and believed by some conspiracy theories to be secretly in control of human societies.
- Nordic Aliens: Also known as "Space Brothers", these are depicted as human-like in appearance, often with blonde hair and blue eyes, and are said to be benevolent.
- Little Green Men: A somewhat cliche image representing extraterrestrials as short, green-skinned, with antennae on their heads.
Images or concepts that are NOT widely popular or commonly recognized as alien depictions might include:
- Aliens that look identical to regular Earth animals.
- Aliens that perfectly mimic everyday Earth objects (e.g., a sentient alien race that looks exactly like chairs).
- Extraterrestrials that defy the laws of physics as we understand them, for example, aliens composed of fire or plasma that don't require any containment and can interact with the environment like biological creatures.
- Aliens modeled on mythological creatures with no adjustments for plausible biological functions, such as a centaur or a traditional depiction of a dragon.
These depictions are less common because they challenge conventional and widely held notions of what a biologically plausible alien life form would be. They often do not fit within the "popular" framework of what might realistically evolve on another planet, given the constraints of known science or the common conventions of the science fiction genre.
