The article describes the results of an associative experiment conducted in 2017, which involved 235 respondents. The author identified stereotyped characteristics of animals in Dutch. On the one hand, the characteristics manifest themselves in free associations with the zoonym. On the other hand, they can be obtained from sustainable comparisons, e. g. "as stupid as a donkey". These comparisons are seen as a sort of phraseological constructions. The experiment had two parts. In the "free associations" part, the respondents had to give a spontaneous reaction on a zoonym as stimulus, while in the "phraseological" part they had to add a missing adjective in a sustainable comparison. The author also intended to reveal the connections between the stereotyped perception of animals reflected in free associations and phraseology. The phraseological part of the experiment resulted in a larger amount of answers than expected. A comparative analysis showed that the stereotyped perception coincided in phraseology and free associations. In addition, the stereotyped perception changes with time and can produce new phraseological units.