Djinn have the power of shape-shifting and can change into any animal or object he or she chooses. While in animal or object form, the djinn still retain their thoughts and senses, granting them a form of telepathy to communicate to other djinn while in an animal or object guise.
The downside to shape-shifting into an animal is that the djinn still retain some animal-like qualities when they change back into their mundane forms; such as the animal's scent, plus they can only stay in animal form for a limited time.
An exception to the time limit is when the djinn change into their tribe's special animal; for example, the camel is regarded as the animal of the Marid tribe; therefore, djinn of the Marid tribe can stay in camel form for an indefinite amount of time. When djinn are disguised as objects such as walls or statues they must act like objects, that is, to be seen and not heard.