No Animal Sign

No Animal Signs, also parsed as "No Animal" signs, are objects featured in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! as well as their handheld counterparts, Donkey Kong Land 2 and Donkey Kong Land III, respectively. No Animal Signs appear in any level with an Animal Friend, usually at the end, and prevent the Animal Friend from continuing past that point. In the Donkey Kong Country series, every No Animal Sign depicts a certain Animal Friend with a red no symbol over it, but in the Donkey Kong Land series, only the no symbol is shown.

Overview
The Animal Friend disappears if the Kongs ride it past a No Animal Sign, otherwise, if it emerged from an Animal Barrel, it transforms back into the Kongs. The Kongs are usually rewarded with an item, such as an Extra Life Balloon. The rewards usually improve based on the level difficulty. There are a few instances where crossing a No Animal Sign reveals a DK Coin.

In Donkey Kong Country 3, crossing a No Animal Sign may turn the Animal Friend into an object that leads to a collectible, such as a Steel Keg meant to throw behind a Koin, or even a Bonus Barrel. Nibbla also has its own sign in Fish Food Frenzy, but unlike the Animal Friends, it stops at the sign and does not move past it.

In Donkey Kong Land III, No Animal Signs no longer spawn rewards when crossed. Some levels have an Animal Friend without a corresponding No Animal Sign. This means that the Animal Friend can reach and activate the Level Flag, but it is still unable to access the following level. Additionally, in the toboggan levels, No Animal Signs function as "No Sled" signs.

No Animal Signs do not appear in the first Donkey Kong Country, so DK and Diddy can finish a level with their mounted Animal Friend. However, it cannot proceed to the next level with the Kongs. This is also the case in its modern sequels, Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

While No Animal Signs do not appear in Donkey Kong 64, Rambi and Enguarde transform back into their respective Kong, DK and Lanky, if they go outside their intended region. Before this occurs, a red no symbol displays on-screen, accompanied by King K. Rool's laughter.

Trivia

 * In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!'s stage Krack-Shot Kroc, a metallic version of a No Animal Sign signifies the end of Kroc's range; the beginning is also marked by a sign, albeit a generic triangular warning sign.