Animals in English – animal vocabulary list

Animals in English – Vocabulary List

Mammals

a small, very intelligent African ape with black or brown fur

Chimpanzee

/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈziː/

/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈziː/

a large female farm animal kept to produce meat and milk

Cow

/kaʊ/

/kaʊ/

a quite large animal with four legs that eats grass and leaves

Deer

/dɪər/

/dɪr/

a common animal with four legs, especially kept by people as a pet or to hunt or guard things

Dog

 

 

/dɒɡ/

/dɑːɡ/

a very large grey mammal that has a trunk (= long nose) with which it can pick things up

Elephant

 

 

/ˈel.ɪ.fənt/

/ˈel.ə.fənt/

a wild mammal belonging to the dog family that has a pointed face and ears, a wide tail covered in fur

Fox

/fɒks/

 /fɑːks/

a large African animal with a very long neck and long legs

Giraffe

/dʒɪˈrɑːf/

/dʒɪˈræf/

an animal related to sheep that usually has horns and a beard. Goats live wild on mountains or are kept on farms to provide milk, meat, wool, etc.:

Goat

/ɡəʊt/

/ɡoʊt/

a small, brown mammal with a covering of sharp spines on its back

Hedgehog

/ˈhedʒ.hɒɡ/

/ˈhedʒ.hɑːɡ/

a very large animal with short legs and thick, dark grey skin that lives near water in Africa

Hippopotamus

/ˌhɪp.əˈpɒt.ə.məs/

/ˌhɪp.əˈpɑː.t̬ə.məs/

a large animal with four legs that people ride on or use for carrying things or pulling vehicles

Horse

/hɔːs/

/hɔːrs/

a large Australian mammal with a long stiff tail, short front legs and long powerful back legs on which it moves by jumping

Kangaroo

/ˌkæŋ.ɡərˈuː/

/ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈruː/

an Australian animal that looks like a small bear with grey fur and lives in trees.

Koala

/kəʊˈɑː.lə/

/koʊˈɑː.lə/

a large wild cat that has yellow fur with black spots on it and lives in Africa and southern Asia

Leopard

/ˈlep.əd/

/ˈlep.ɚd/

a large wild animal of the cat family with yellowish-brown fur that lives in Africa and southern Asia

Lion

/ˈlaɪ.ən/

/ˈlaɪ.ən/

a small mammal that is almost blind, has dark fur, and lives in passages that it digs underground

Mole

/məʊl/

/moʊl/

an animal that lives in hot countries, has a long tail, and climbs trees.

Monkey

/ˈmʌŋ.ki/

/ˈmʌŋ.ki/

a small mammal with short fur, a pointed face, and a long tail

Mouse

/maʊs/

/maʊs/

a mammal with four legs and short brown fur that swims well and eats fish

Otter

/ˈɒt.ər/

/ˈɑː.t̬ɚ/

a bull (= male cow) that has had its reproductive organs removed, used in the past for pulling heavy things on farms, or, more generally, any adult of the cattle family

Ox

/ɒks/

/ɑːks/

a large, black and white mammal that lives in forests in China. Pandas eat bamboo.

Panda

/ˈpæn.də/

/ˈpæn.də/

a large pink, brown, or black farm animal with short legs and a curved tail, kept for its meat

Pig

/pɪɡ/

/pɪɡ/

a small North American animal with black marks on its face and a long tail with black rings on it

Raccoon

/rækˈuːn/

/rækˈuːn/

a farm animal with thick wool that eats grass and is kept for its wool, skin, and meat

Sheep

/ʃiːp/

/ʃiːp/

 small animal covered in fur with a long tail. Squirrels climb trees and feed on nuts and seeds

Squirrel

/ˈskwɪr.əl/

/ˈskwɝː.əl/

a mammal that lives in the sea and on beaches in the Arctic. It is similar to a seal but larger, with two tusks and long hairs growing near its mouth

Walrus

/ˈwɔːl.rəs/

/ˈwɑːl.rəs/

List of Birds

a white or grey bird, often used as a symbol of peace

Dove

/dʌv/

/dʌv/

a bird that lives near the sea and has short legs, long wings, and white and grey feathers

Seagull

/ˈsiː.ɡʌl/

/ˈsiː.ɡʌl/

a large bird, the male of which has very long tail feathers that it can spread out to show bright colours and patterns shaped like eyes

Peacock

/ˈpiː.kɒk/

/ˈpiː.kɑːk/

European bird, the male of which has black feathers and a bright yellow beak

Blackbird

/ˈblæk.bɜːd/

/ˈblæk.bɝːd/

a bird with a flat face and large eyes that hunts small mammals at night

Owl

/aʊl/

/aʊl/

a large, usually white bird with a long neck that lives on rivers and lakes

Swan

/swɒn/

/swɑːn/

the largest bird in the crow family, with shiny black feathers

Raven

/ˈreɪ.vən/

/ˈreɪ.vən/

a bird that uses its strong beak to make holes in tree trunks in order to find insects to eat

Woodpecker

/ˈwʊdˌpek.ər/

/ˈwʊdˌpek.ɚ/

a small, brown European bird with a red front, or a similar but slightly larger brown bird of North America

Robin

/ˈrɒb.ɪn/

/ˈrɑː.bɪn/

a tropical bird with a curved beak, often kept as a pet and trained to copy the human voice

Parrot

/ˈpær.ət/

/ˈper.ət/

a large North American eagle with a white head, used as a symbol of the US

Bald Eagle

/ˌbɔːld ˈiː.ɡəl/

/ˌbɑːld ˈiː.ɡəl/

a very large bird from Africa that cannot fly

Ostrich

/ˈɒs.trɪtʃ/

/ˈɑː.strɪtʃ/

a black and white bird that cannot fly but uses its small wings to help it swim

Penguin

/ˈpeŋ.ɡwɪn/

/ˈpeŋ.ɡwɪn/

a large water bird similar to a duck but larger, or the meat from this bird

Goose

/ɡuːs/

/ɡuːs/

a small bird with pointed wings and a tail with two points that flies quickly and catches insects to eat

Swallow

/ˈswɒl.əʊ/

/ˈswɑː.loʊ/

a large bird with pink feathers, long, thin legs, a long neck, and a beak that curves down

Flamingo

/fləˈmɪŋ.ɡəʊ/

/fləˈmɪŋ.ɡoʊ/

a type of large bird that catches small birds and animals for food

Hawk

/hɔːk/

/hɑːk/

a large bird grown for its meat on farms

Turkey

/ˈtɜː.ki/

/ˈtɝː.ki/

a small, grey-brown bird that is especially common in towns

Sparrow

/ˈspær.əʊ/

/ˈsper.oʊ/

a large, white bird with very long legs that walks around in water to find its food

Stork

/stɔːk/

/stɔːrk/

a large, black bird with a loud, unpleasant cry

Crow

/krəʊ/

/kroʊ/

a large, usually grey bird that is often seen in towns sitting on buildings in large groups

Pigeon

/ˈpɪdʒ.ən/

/ˈpɪdʒ.ən/

Wild Animals List

a large wild animal of the cat family with yellowish-orange fur with black lines that lives in parts of Asia

Tiger

/ˈtaɪ.ɡər/

/ˈtaɪ.ɡɚ/

a large ape that comes from western Africa

Gorilla

/ɡəˈrɪl.ə/

/ɡəˈrɪl.ə/

a small, brown animal, similar to a frog, that has big eyes and long back legs for swimming and jumping

Toad

/təʊd/

/toʊd/

a small, brown mammal with a covering of sharp spines on its back

Hedgehog

/ˈhedʒ.hɒɡ/

/ˈhedʒ.hɑːɡ/

a bird with a flat face and large eyes that hunts small mammals at night

Owl

/aʊl/

/aʊl/

a small rodent, larger than a mouse, that has a long tail and is considered to be harmful

Rat

/ræt/

 /ræt/

a small reptile that has a long body, four short legs, a long tail, and thick skin

Lizard

/ˈlɪz.əd/

/ˈlɪz.ɚd/

a very large grey mammal that has a trunk (= long nose) with which it can pick things up

Elephant

 

 

/ˈel.ɪ.fənt/

/ˈel.ə.fənt/

a quite large animal with four legs that eats grass and leaves

Deer

/dɪər/

/dɪr/

a reptile with a long body and no legs

Snake

/sneɪk/

/sneɪk/

a sea mammal that is large, smooth, and grey, with a long, pointed mouth

Dolphin

/ˈdɒl.fɪn/

/ˈdɑːl.fɪn/

a small animal like a mouse with wings that flies at night

Bat

/bæt/

/bæt/

a small animal that has smooth skin, lives in water and on land, has long powerful back legs with which it jumps from place to place

Frog

/frɒɡ/

/frɑːɡ/

a very large sea mammal that breathes air through a hole at the top of its head

Whale

/weɪl/

/weɪl/

an animal like a large rabbit that can run very fast and has long ears

Hare

/heər/

/her/

a wild mammal belonging to the dog family that has a pointed face and ears, a wide tail covered in fur

Fox

/fɒks/

 /fɑːks/

a large reptile with a hard skin that lives in and near rivers and lakes in hot, wet parts of the world. It is like an alligator, but it usually has a longer and narrower nose

Crocodile

/ˈkrɒk.ə.daɪl/

/ˈkrɑː.kə.daɪl/

a wild animal of the dog family

Wolf

/wʊlf/

/wʊlf/

a large, strong wild mammal with a thick fur coat that lives especially in colder parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

Bear

/beər/

/ber/

a small, very intelligent African ape with black or brown fur

Chimpanzee

/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈziː/

/ˌtʃɪm.pænˈziː/

a mammal with four legs and short brown fur that swims well and eats fish

Otter

/ˈɒt.ər/

/ˈɑː.t̬ɚ/

a type of deer with large horns that lives in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

Reindeer

/ˈreɪn.dɪər/

/ˈreɪn.dɪr/

a small mammal that is almost blind, has dark fur, and lives in passages that it digs underground

Mole

/məʊl/

/moʊl/

a large animal with a long neck, that lives in the desert and has one or two humps on its back

Camel

/ˈkæm.əl/

/ˈkæm.əl/

a large wild animal of the cat family with yellowish-brown fur that lives in Africa and southern Asia

Lion

/ˈlaɪ.ən/

/ˈlaɪ.ən/

a small animal with long ears and large front teeth that moves by jumping on its long back legs

Rabbit

/ˈræb.ɪt/

/ˈræb.ɪt/

an animal that lives in hot countries, has a long tail, and climbs trees.

Monkey

/ˈmʌŋ.ki/

/ˈmʌŋ.ki/

a mammal like a deer with horns and long, thin legs that allow it to run very fast

Antelope

/ˈæn.tɪ.ləʊp/

/ˈæn.t̬əl.oʊp/

a large wild cat that has yellow fur with black spots on it and lives in Africa and southern Asia

Leopard

/ˈlep.əd/

/ˈlep.ɚd/

a large fish that has sharp teeth and a pointed fin on its back

Shark

/ʃɑːk/

/ʃɑːrk/

a sea creature with a soft, oval, almost transparent body

Jellyfish

/ˈdʒel.i.fɪʃ/

/ˈdʒel.i.fɪʃ/

a flat animal that lives in the sea and has five arms that grow from its body in the shape of a star

Starfish

/ˈstɑː.fɪʃ/

/ˈstɑːr.fɪʃ/

a sea creature with a soft, oval body and eight tentacles

Octopus

/ˈɒk.tə.pəs/

/ˈɑːk.tə.pəs/

a large female farm animal kept to produce meat and milk

Crab

/kræb/

/kræb/

a small, black creature with a large head and long tail that lives in water and develops into a frog or toad

Tadpole

/ˈtæd.pəʊl/

/ˈtæd.poʊl/

a large reptile with a hard skin that lives in and near rivers and lakes in the hot, wet parts of America and China

Alligator

/ˈæl.ɪ.ɡeɪ.tər/

/ˈæl.ə.ɡeɪ.t̬ɚ/

an African wild animal that looks like a horse, with black or brown and white lines on its body

Zebra

/ˈzeb.rə/

/ˈziː.brə/