How To Talk About Animals In Spanish

Do you prefer los perros or los gatos?
cheetah on cliff edge animals in Spanish

In the midst of turmoil and hardship, animals regularly bring joy to our lives — on the internet and in the real world. We love them as pets, we marvel at them in the wild, and we play with them on the street. Animals are such an important part of our lives, it only makes sense that animal-related vocabulary would be high on our priority list when learning a new language. Once you know how to talk about animals in Spanish, you’ll be able to have more joyful conversations, more educational travel experiences, and more opportunities to pet dogs in public.

Here’s a list of some of the most useful vocab for discussing animals in Spanish. We also included how some animal sounds are articulated in Spanish, in case you were curious. Press the play button to hear each word or sound pronounced by a native speaker.

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General Animal Vocab

the animal — el animal

the pet — la mascota

the farm animal — el animal de la granja

the wild animal — el animal salvaje

the sea creature — el animal marino

the fur — el pelo

the veterinarian — el veterinario (masc.) / la veterinaria (fem.)

Names of Animals In Spanish

the dog — el perro

the cat — el gato

the fish — el pez

the mouse — el ratón

the hamster — el hámster

the rabbit — el conejo

the rat — la rata

the guinea pig — el conejillo de Indias

the chicken — la gallina

the cow — la vaca

the pig — el cerdo

the sheep — la oveja

the goat — la cabra

the donkey — el burro

the horse — el caballo

the elephant — el elefante

the camel — el camello

the bird — el ave

the duck — el pato

the goose — el ganso

the pigeon — la paloma

the penguin — el pingüino

the parrot — el loro

the owl — la lechuza

the eagle — el águila

the dolphin — el delfín

the octopus — el pulpo

the blue whale — la ballena azul

the jellyfish — la medusa

the starfish — la estrella de mar

the shark — el tiburón

the sea turtle — la tortuga marina

the bear — el oso

the wolf — el lobo

the crocodile — el cocodrilo

the snake — la serpiente

the kangaroo — el canguro

the frog — la rana

the squirrel — la ardilla

the giraffe — la jirafa

the hippopotamus — el hipopótamo

the sloth — el perezoso

the deer — el corzo

the bug — el bicho

the fly — la mosca

the mosquito — el mosquito

the spider — la araña

the ant — la hormiga

the bee — la abeja

the butterfly — la mariposa

the moth — la polilla

the cockroach — la cucaracha

Animal Sounds In Spanish

woof — guau

meow — miau

quack quack — cuac cuac

moo — muu

ribbit — croac

caw — cruaac

baa — be-e-e

cluck cluck — cro cro

cock-a-doodle-doo — quiquiriquí

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