The Yoshis are mini reptilian dinosaur-like creatures and supporting characters in the Super Mario franchise. Their home is Mushroom World, they come from Yoshi's Island or other islands in the Mario universes and are a reference to dinosaurs. One of them, the original Yoshi, appears in many video games, more than the other Yoshis.
All Yoshis resemble dinosaurs and have similar physical characteristics: they have a red shell on their back that is used as a saddle, a pair of shoes that change color depending on the Yoshi wearing them, they have red scales on the neck, a short plump tail, a round nose, two large eyes and a smiling mouth. They also have a very long tongue which they use to swallow enemies. Baby Yoshis are very similar to Yoshis, except they are smaller, plump and have a slightly sleepy expression. Miniyoshi are Yoshi's childhood counterparts: they often wear colorful underpants and have tufts of hair on their heads.
All Yoshis, Baby Yoshis and Miniyoshis have a common feature, namely their coloring: each of them has a different color and the color of the shoes in the Yoshis and Baby Yoshis vary from the color of the body; in Miniyoshi instead the color determines the color of the trousers and the tuft. Also, depending on the color of the Yoshis, the spots on the dropped shells also have the same color as the body of the Yoshi who created them.
Yoshis eat mostly fruit, and often adore watermelons, grapes, and apples. Instead, most Yoshis hate chillie peppers (Although they turn purple when they eat chillie peppers in Super Mario Sunshine). Every Yoshi has their own favorite fruit, and Yoshis often supplement their diet with Shy Guys. In some games, like Super Mario World or Super Mario 64, the Yoshis can speak the human language. Instead, in most of the other games, the Yoshis don't speak the human language but mostly express themselves with the word "Yoshi!" In the Mario & Luigi games, they do not speak human language, but their words are translated in parentheses.
Yoshis are similar to dinosaurs and other real-life creatures. Additionally, Yoshi has an alternative name "Yoshisaurus", which is a reference to dinosaurs, as a lot of them has the affix "saurus".
The Yoshis have also inhabited Isle Delfino as mentioned by a Toad.