Fursona

A fursona is an animal character that represents a human being. Fursonas are used to insert someone into a world of magic and randomness, because real life fucking sucks. In animation memes, the character used is typically someone's fursona. Sparkledogs make the best fursonas. (opinion)
Fursonas can be pretty much any animal, but reptilian (scalies)/insect are a sub-category of fursona. They are mocked online for being different. As why they suck (its usually just edgy 11-year olds) is by zoophiles, not furries.
Difference: Zoophilia (Zoos) is the sexual attraction to animals. Furries are folk who enjoy anthropomorphic characters.