Animal Vocabulary
This animal vocabulary list covers the basics.
animal | plural | male | female | young | Group Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ant![]() | ants![]() | winged male, aner![]() | queen, worker![]() | antling![]() | a colony of ants, an army of ants![]() |
bat | bats | male | female | pup | a cloud of bats, a colony of bats |
bear | bears | boar | sow | cub | a sleuth of bears, a sloth of bears |
bee | bees | drone | queen, worker | larva, schadon, fry (plural noun) | a hive of bees, a swarm of bees |
bird | birds | cock | hen | nestling, fledgling | a flock of birds, a flight of birds (in the air) |
buffalo | buffalo, buffalloes, buffaloes | bull | cow | calf | a herd of buffalo |
cat | cats | tom | queen | kitten | a clutter of cats |
chicken | chickens | rooster | hen | chick | a brood of chickens, a flock of chickens |
cow | cattle | bull | cow | calf | a herd of cattle |
dog | dogs | dog | bitch | puppy, pup | a pack of dogs |
dolphin | dolphins | bull | cow | pup | a school of dolphins |
duck | ducks | drake | duck | duckling | a raft of ducks |
elephant | elephants | bull | cow | calf | a herd of elephants |
fish | fish, fishes | male | female | fry (plural noun) | a school of fish |
fox | foxes | dog, reynard | vixen | cub | a troop of foxes, an earth of foxes |
frog | frogs | male | female | tadpole, froglet | an army of frogs, a colony of frogs |
goose | geese | gander | goose | gosling | a flock of geese, a gaggle of geese |
goat | goats | billy (domestic), evec | nanny | kid | a flock of goats, a herd of goats |
horse | horses | stallion, colt (young) | mare, filly (young) | foal | a herd of horses, a team of horses (in harness), a string of horses (for racing) |
kangaroo | kangaroos | buck | doe | joey | a mob of kangaroos, a troop of kangaroos |
lion | lions | lion | lioness | cub | a pride of lions |
monkey | monkeys | male | female | infant | a troop of monkeys |
owl | owls | male | female | owlet | a parliament of owls |
ox | oxen | bull, steer (castrated) | cow | calf | a herd of oxen, a drove of oxen (when driven in a group), a team of oxen (in harness) |
penguin | penguins | male | female | chick | a colony of penguins |
person | people | man | woman | baby, infant | a crowd of people |
pig | pigs | boar | sow | suckling, piglet | a herd of pigs, a flock of pigs |
rabbit | rabbits | buck | doe | bunny, bunny rabbit | a colony of rabbits, a nest of rabbits, a warren of rabbits (strictly, where they live) |
sheep | sheep | ram | ewe | lamb | a flock of sheep |
tiger | tigers | tiger | tigress | cub, whelp | a streak of tigers |
whale | whales | bull | cow | calf | a school of whales, a shoal of whales, a pod of whales (smaller groups) |
wolf | wolves | dog | bitch | cub | a pack of wolves, a herd of wolves |
zebra | zebra, zebras | stallion | mare | foal | a cohort of zebra, a herd of zebra |
Animal Vocabulary and other curiosities about our fauna.
Word | Example |
Furry-friend | I have a black-mouthed cur and she is my furry-friend. |
Adorable and Friendly | My pet cat is adorable and friendly. |
Mischievous. | I have caught my cat doing mischievous stuff. |
Vaccination | The pet owners should be aware of timely vaccination of their pets. |
Cage | I hate the idea of keeping birds in cages. |
Aquarium | She bought a large aquarium for her pet fish. |
Cuddle | My cat likes to be cuddled. |
Attention-seeker | All pets are attention-seekers. |
Companionship | Pets can give companionship to people who are living alone |
Therapeutic | Having a pet has a therapeutic effect on the mind. |
Frisbee | My dog likes playing with a Frisbee. |
Wild Animals Vocabulary
Wild animals live in forests.
GENERIC NAME | MALE | FEMALE | YOUNG | GROUP NAME |
---|---|---|---|---|
MAMMALS | ||||
BADGER(S) | Boar | Sow | Cub or Kit | Colony |
BAT(S) | Male | Female | Pup | Colony |
DEER (DEER) | Stag | Doe | Fawn | Herd |
FOX(ES) | Dog-fox / Reynard | She-fox / Vixen | Cub | Skulk |
HARE(S) | Jack | Jill | Leveret | Down |
HEDGEHOG(S) | Boar | Sow | Piglet | Prickle |
MOLE(S) | Male | Female | Pup | Labor |
MOUSE (MICE) | Buck | Doe | Pup | Nest |
OTTER(S) | Dog | Bitch | Kitten | Family |
RABBIT(S) | Buck | Doe | Kit / Bunny | Colony |
RAT(S) | Buck | Doe | Kitten / Pup | Nest |
SQUIRREL(S) | Buck | Doe | Pup | Dray |
STOAT(S) | Jack | Jill | Kit | Pack |
WEASEL(S) | Jack | Jill | Kit | Sneak |
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animals. | Cock | Hen | Nestling / Hatching/ Fledgling | Flock(s) |
CROW(S) | Male | Female | Young | Murder |
DOVE(S) | Cock | Hen | Squab | Cote |
DUCK(S) | Drake | Hen | Duckling | Flock |
GOOSE (GEESE) | Gander | Goose | Gosling | If a group of geese is flying, it becomes a “skein”. If they are on land or water, they’re a “gaggle”. |
HAWK(S) | Hen | Tiercel | Eyas | Aerie |
HERON(S) | Hedge | |||
KINGFISHER(S) | ||||
OWL(S) | Owl | Jenny | Owlet | Parliament |
PEAFOWL | Peacock | Peahen | Peachick | Pride |
PHEASANT(S) | Cock | Hen | Chick | Brood |
PIGEON(S) | Cock | Hen | Squab | Flight |
ROBIN(S) | Cock | Hen | Chick | |
ROOK(S) | Cock | Hen | Chick | Building |
SPARROW(S) | Cock | Hen | Chick | Flock |
STARLING(S) | Cock | Hen | Chick | Flock |
SWAN(S) | Cob | Pen | Signet | Bevy |
Insects -An invertebrate whose body is comprised of three segments and six legs. | Swarm | |||
ANT(S) | Prince / Drone | Queen / Princess / Worker | Antling | Army / Nest |
BEE(S) | Drone | Queen / Worker | Larva | Hive |
BUTTERFLY (BUTTERFLIES) | Male | Female | Caterpillar / Chrysalis | Swarm |
DRAGONFLY (DRAGONFLIES) | Male | Female | Nymphs / Naiads | Swarm |
FLY (FLIES) | Male | Female | Maggot | Swarm |
MOTH(S) | Male | Female | Caterpillar / Chrysalis | Swarm |
MOSQUITO(ES) | Male | Female | Larva | Swarm |
SPIDER(S) | Male | Female | Spiderling | Cluster |
Fish – Cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills. | Shoal / School | |||
PIKE | – | – | Fry | Shoal / School |
SALMON | Jack | Hen | Fry | Run |
TROUT | Jack | Hen | Fry | Hover |
Amphibians a class of animals that spend part of their time on land and part in the water; they are an intermediate form between fishes and reptiles. | ||||
FROG(S) | Male | Female | Tadpole(s) | Army |
NEWT(S) | Male | Female | Larvae | |
TOAD(S) | Male | Female | Tadpole(s) | Knot |
Reptiles– Cold-blooded vertebrate that lays eggs and has scales or plates on its skin | ||||
SNAKE(S) | Male | Female | Young | Nest |
Crustaceans- A class of invertebrates that have a segmented body, a hard external skeleton (exoskeleton), two sets of antennae and one pair of legs per body segment. | ||||
CRAB(S) | Male | Female | Zoea | |
LOBSTER(S) | Male | Female | Zoea | |
MOLLUSCS | ||||
CLAM(S) | Male | Female | Spat | Bed |
COCKLE(S) | – | – | – | Bed |
MUSSEL(S) | Male | Female | Glochidia | Bed |
OYSTER(S) | Male | Female | Spat | Bed |
SNAIL(S) | Male | Female | Baby | Rout |
Animals On The Farm
Domesticated animals that live of a farm, are sometimes called farm animals or if bred for commercial use- livestock.
GENERIC NAME | MALE | FEMALE | YOUNG | GROUP NAME |
---|---|---|---|---|
MAMMALS | ||||
CATTLE | Bull | Cow | Calf | Herd / Kine |
DEER (DEER) | Stag | Doe | Fawn | Herd |
DOG(S) | Dog | Bitch | Puppy | Pack (a group of puppies is called a litter) |
DONKEY | Jack | Jenny | Colt | Drove |
GOAT(S) | Billy | Nanny | Kid | Flock |
HORSE(S) | Stallion | Mare | Foal | Herd |
PIG(S) | Boar | Sow | Piglet | Litter |
SHEEP | Ram | Ewe | Lamb / Mutton | Flock |
BIRDS | ||||
CHICKEN(S) | Cockerel | Hen | Chick | Brood |
DUCK(S) | Drake | Hen | Duckling | Brace |
GOOSE (GEESE) | Gander | Goose | Gosling | Gaggle |
INSECTS | ||||
BEE(S) | Drone | Queen / Worker | Larva | Swarm |
FISH | ||||
SALMON | Jack | Hen | Fry | Shoal |
TROUT | Jack | Hen | Fry | Shoal |
Animals In The House
Animals that live in the house as family companions area called pets.
GENERIC NAME | MALE | FEMALE | YOUNG | GROUP NAME |
---|---|---|---|---|
MAMMALS | ||||
CAT(S) | Tom | Queen | Kitten | Clutter (a group of kittens is called a litter) |
DOG(S) | Dog | Bitch | Puppy | Pack |
FERRET(S) | Dog | Bitch | Kit | Cast |
GERBIL(S) | Male | Female | Pup | Horde |
GUINEA PIG(S) | Boar | Sow | Pup | Group |
HAMSTER(S) | Male | Female | Pup | Horde |
RABBIT(S) | Buck | Doe | Kit / Bunny | Colony |
RAT(S) | Buck | Doe | Kitten / Pup | Nest |
BIRDS | ||||
BUDGERIGAR(S) | Hen | Cock | Chick | Flock |
CANARY (CANARIES) | Hen | Cock | Chick | Flock |
COCKATIEL(S) | Hen | Cock | Chick | Flock |
COCKATOO(S) | Hen | Cock | Chick | Flock |
PARROT(S) | Hen | Cock | Chick | Flock |
INSECTS | ||||
SPIDER(S) | Male | Female | Spider-ling | Cluster |
FISH | ||||
GOLDFISH | Male | Female | Fry | Shoal |
REPTILES | ||||
SNAKE(S) | Male | Female | Baby | Nest |
Animal Sounds
Animals make unique sounds, and some of these sounds have their own word. The internet giant Twitter is a wordplay on numerous bird-related idioms. Its founder -Dorsey has explained the origin of the “Twitter” title: …we came across the word “twitter”, and it was just perfect. The definition was “a short burst of inconsequential information“, and “chirps from birds”. Do you need to learn these? Probably not, but you never know, one day you might thank us.
Bees buzz. |
Birds sing or tweet. Some birds caw. |
Cats go miaow. They purr when they’re happy. |
Cockerels crow, or go cock-a-doodle-doo. |
Cows go moo. |
Dogs bark or go woof woof. They growl when they’re angry. |
Donkeys bray, or go heehaw. |
Ducks quack. |
Flies buzz. |
Frogs croak or go ribbit. |
Geese honk. |
Goats bleat. |
Hens cluck. |
Horses neigh. |
Mice squeak. |
Pigs oink or grunt or squeal. |
Sheep bleat or go baa. |
Snakes hiss. |
Toads croak. |
Animal Vocabulary List
1. Amphibians
- frog
- frogspawn
- newt
- tadpole
- toad
2. Arachnids
- harvestman
- scorpion
- spider
- tarantula
3. Birds
- albatross
- biddy
- blackbird
- canary
- crow
- cuckoo
- dove,
- pigeon
- duck
- eagle
- falcon
- finch
- flamingo
- goose
- gull
- hawk
- jackdaw
- jay
- kestrel
- kookaburra
- mallard
- nightingale
- nuthatch
- ostrich
- owl
- parakeet
- parrot
- peacock
- pelican
- penguin
- pheasant
- piranha
- raven
- robin
- rooster
- sparrow
- stork
- swallow
- swan
- swift
- tit
- turkey
- vulture
- woodpecker
- wren
4. Butterflies
- peacock butterfly
- red admiral
- silkworm
- swallowtail
5. Fishes and Marine Animals
- barbel
- carp
- cod
- crab
- eel
- goldfish
- haddock
- halibut
- jellyfish
- lobster
- perch
- pike
- plaice
- ray
- salmon
- sawfish
- scallop
- shark
- shell
- shrimp
- trout
6. Insects
- ant
- aphid
- bee
- beetle
- bumblebee
- caterpillar
- cockroach
- dragonfly
- flea
- fly
- gadfly
- grasshopper
- ladybug
- larva
- louse (pl. lice)
- maggot
- midge
- moth
- nymph
- wasp
7. Mammals
- anteater
- antelope
- armadillo
- badger
- bat
- bear
- beaver
- bullock
- camel
- chimpanzee
- dachshund
- deer, hart
- dolphin
- elephant
- elk , moose
- fox
- gazelle
- gerbil
- giraffe
- goat
- grizzly bear
- guinea pig
- hamster
- hare
- hare
- hedgehog
- horse
- hyena
- lion
- llama
- lynx
- mammoth
- marmot
- mink
- mole
- mongoose
- mouse
- mule
- otter
- panda
- pig, hog
- platypus
- polar bear
- polecat
- pony
- porcupine
- prairie dog
- puma
- racoon
- rat
- reindeer
- rhinoceros
- seal
- seal
- sheep
- skunk
- sloth
- squirrel
- tiger
- weasel
- whale
- wolf
- zebra
8. Molluscs, Mollusks
- slug
- snail
9. Reptiles
- blindworm
- boa
- anaconda
- chameleon
- constrictor snake
- copperhead
- coral snake
- cottonmouth
- crocodile
- diamondback rattlesnake
- gecko
- iguana
- lizard
- Mojave rattlesnake
- poisonous / venomous snake
- python
- salamander
- saurian
- sea snake
- sidewinder
- snake
- Southern Pacific rattlesnake
- tortoise, turtle
10. Worms
- tapeworm
- leech
- earthworm
- round worm
Other resources here!
Glossary: Animals vocabulary
- bovine any of various wild or domestic cattle
- canine a dog or related mammal
- equine relating to or resembling a horse
- feline of or relating to cats
- leonine of or characteristic of or resembling a lion
- piscatorial relating to or characteristic of the activity of fishing
- serpentine resembling a snake in form
- simian relating to or resembling an ape or a monkey
- ursine of or relating to or similar to bears
- vulpine resembling or characteristic of a fox
- ornithology the branch of zoology that studies birds
- entomology the branch of zoology that studies insects
- herpetology the branch of zoology concerned with reptiles and amphibians
- ichthyology the branch of zoology that studies fishes
- physiology the science dealing with the functioning of organisms
- taxonomy a classification of organisms based on similarities
- fauna all the animal life in a particular region or period
- mammal a warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin covered with hair
- marsupial a mammal the female of which has a pouch carrying the young
- pachyderm a large mammal with thick skin, such as an elephant or hippo
- whelp young of any of various canines such as a dog or wolf
- viper a venomous Old World snake
- vixen a female fox
- behemoth someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful
- satyr one of a class of woodland deities
- centaur a mythical being that is half man and half horse
- low less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
- whinny the characteristic sounds made by a horse
- spawn the mass of eggs deposited by fish or amphibians or mollusks
- fodder coarse food composed of plants or leaves and stalks
- forage collect or look around for, as food
- provender food for domestic livestock
- flora all the plant life in a particular region or period
- tanner a craftsman who tans skins and hides
- tannery workplace where skins and hides are tanned
- aviary a building where birds are kept
- apiary a shed containing a number of beehives
- vivisection the act of operating on living animals
- menagerie a collection of live animals for study or display
- fleece outer coat of especially sheep and yaks
- plumage the covering of feathers on a bird
- venison meat from a deer used as food
- speciation the evolution of a biological species
- symbiosis the relation between two interdependent species of organisms
- chirpy (birds or insects) characterized by or tending to chirp
- asinine devoid of intelligence
- trotter a horse trained to trot
- boar an uncastrated male hog
- sow place seeds in or on the ground for future growth
- byre a barn for cows
- byre a barn for cows
- rodent relatively small placental mammals
- adipose composed of animal fat
- tamer an animal trainer who tames wild animals
- burrow a hole made by an animal, usually for shelter
- tame brought from wildness into a domesticated state
- hawk a bird of prey with rounded wings and a long tail
- captor a person who entraps and holds someone else
- capturer a person who captures and holds people or animals
- vulture a large diurnal bird of prey feeding chiefly on carrion
- venom toxin secreted by animals
- taurine of or relating to or resembling a bull
- incubate grow under conditions that promote development
- pelt the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
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