Oda has yet to show what the Minkmen are. Its my thoery (and several other people's) that the Minkmen are part 'human/part animal just like the Fishmen are part 'human'/part fish. Just like there are different types of Fishmen (Octopus, Shark, squid, ect.) there are different types of Minkmen (Lion, Polar Bear).
Bepo and Pekoms does not look like zoans, niether the traditionalones we're used to seeing, the awakened ones , not even these new smile zoans. I go into detail in a poster I made and its description at DA. link Here is the poster, hidden due to size=
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The description is really long but I copied it here=
"When we look at average zoans hybrid form, there is a common theme to most: the "half-Mask" on the face. In hybrid form, the eyes, cheeks & nose change but the jaw and front of throat is usually human form, free of fur etc. Some like Dalton and Pell have their jaws change but still not their animal's true form.
Dalton= in human form he has a goatee, in hybrid form a beard and skin darkens, but look closely you'll see his lower jaw does not form the normal muzzle of a bison.
Pell= As with Dalton, his 'skin' darkens, it lower lip is same color of beak. Again look at lower jaw; it’s not same shape as a beak.
With the new chapters, and intro of Momonosuke, some fans think that those who ate the Smiley DF cannot transform back. They get the idea from Momonosuke is still in dragon form and didn't know he could change back. It has not been made clear if he can or not. It could be just that he's a young child that never met a Zoan and didn't know it’s possible to change.
However fans have used the idea of "zoans that ate a smiley DF can't transform" and ran away with it. There are some who used that idea to think that Pekoms and Bepo got the forms we know them best in= a lion and polar bear that is bi-pedal and can talk. (not arguing about 'smiles can't transfrom back'- just about using the "deduction" they ate smiles because they always in animal form)
I don’t agree, after all there is a starfish that is bipedal and can talk! And Pappug said he learned how to talk, it wasn't a DF with him.
Oh yes, Pekoms does have a Zoan DF, he can transform into a turtle. They are explaining that as "oh if someone eats a natural DF then they can eat an artificial DF without the usual problem". Again there is no proof.
I suggest taking a good view of top panel of the smiley DF zoans, many of them look like the usual form of having a ‘half-mask’, a few others resemble Dalton and Pell.
The Awakened Zoans= They are huge! They do not have the ‘half-mask’ like other zoans, their face looks like the animal. But look at their midriff. Unlike other zoans, the awakened zoans have a bare midriff.
Neither the awakened zoans or the smiley zoans resemble Pekoms or Bepo. Okay we can’t see either’s midriff but they are not that big, they are about normal human height."