Thread:LucidPigeons/@comment-7455247-20160413190454/@comment-26884760-20160413220019

sapient animals are, as Robin said, displayed as being FAR more intelligent than they should for their species, rivalling (if not surpassing) human-level intellect.. beings like Grodd etc are sapient and thus can be villainous.

it is very difficult for a non-sapient being to be a villain since they lack ethics in general - thus the general rule I feel should be "sapient only, unless non-sapient is shown as suitably monstrous and dangerous, beyond simply being a predatory animal (xenomorph, tyranids etc.. who are not fully sapient yet are by no means simple "predators", since they have entered the realm of "monster" due to the massive threat they hold to life in general).