Apologies again if this isn't the right place to ask or if its been answered before, I have looked at the FAQ and searched but turned up nothing!
In many cultures (i think?) the origin of an animal is explained by a single human behaving in a way that causes them to be turned into the first of that animal.
For example - a beautiful woman mocks a great spirit, and as punishment, becomes the first skunk, e.g. http://www.hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.SkunkOriginMyth.html
I think this is a very common theme for animal origin (is it?) but is it ever explained how a numerous species arose from the single animal the human was turned into?
I believe you may find this sort of thing more commonly in Native American folklore than in some other belief systems. You may find answers over at "askanthropology. But then again, someone here might be more familiar with cultures that have this sort of approach to the etiological legends that explain the origins of animals.