zoömorphism

CIDE DICTIONARY

zoömorphism, n. 

•  The transformation of men into beasts.  Smart.  [1913 Webster]
•  The quality of representing or using animal forms; as, zoömorphism in ornament.  [1913 Webster]
•  The representation of God, or of gods, in the form, or with the attributes, of the lower animals.  [1913 Webster]

  "To avoid the error of anthropomorphism, we fall into the vastly greater, and more absurd, error of zoömorphism."  [1913 Webster]