Wild Animal Names in Spanish

Rawr! Ooh oooh, aah aah! Auuu! Oh my god! What is that? Is there a tiger around us? No, wait, it’s a monkey… No, I think it’s a wolf! Oh no, wait, you just arrived at the perfect blog to learn wild animal names in Spanish. So, no worries.

This is great news! Not only because you’re not in danger surrounded by wild animals, but because kids love animals, which means they’ll love learning animal names in Spanish. It’s a great way to start introducing them to the language.

Now, the only thing you should worry about is teaching these words to your children. But don’t get too stressed. We’ve made it easier for you through this guide to learn the Spanish names of different wild animals.

Reasons to Learn the Spanish Names of Wild Animals

Popularity

Wild animals are widely popular across the world, because they exist everywhere! Think about it: They can live in many different areas, from the jungle to the forest to the desert and even rivers.

This makes it for different countries with different types of weather and ecosystems to have some wild animals living there. So, yes, people from all around the world know different wild animals.

But that’s not it! They’re also popular no matter the age; kids, adults and old people can love, admire and respect these types of animals.

Though, let’s be honest, a lot of times kids are the ones most mesmerized by them. This is no surprise since children are discovering the world and seeing, even if just in pictures, a lion or a bear is huge! Especially, because these types of animals don’t live at home, like dogs or cats. So it’s not that common for kids to see them.

See? These animals are very popular in all the senses of the word. So if children learn the Spanish names of wild animals, they’ll be able to talk about them in Spanish too, not just in their mother tongue.

Make friends

Like we said, many kids love wild animals and everything that has to do with it. They truly love to talk about these animals with everyone, their friends, their new classmates, the teachers or their parents. After all, they enjoy sharing the things they like.

That’s why it’s so important for kids to learn the Spanish names of the different wild animals that exist, as well as Spanish vocabulary about wild animals. If they do this, they’ll be able to talk in Spanish with other children that also love this topic and therefore make new friends.

What if the whole family travels to a Hispanic country? Your children will be able to engage in Spanish conversations about wild animals with local kids. They can even ask which wild animals exist in that region.

As you can see, it’s a great first topic to use to talk to a new kid.

Children can also use their Spanish knowledge about wild animals to reinforce their friendships with their language class’s friends and Hispanic friends. All just by talking in Spanish about the leones, and the tigres and the búfalos, animals many kids find awesome.

It’s super fun

We just talked about how much kids love wild animals and learning everything about them. Sometimes they even have their parties’ theme be that of their favorite wild animal. Some other times, they wear a custom of a wild animal. They also like to play to imitate the wild animal they like or fear the most!

See? It’s a super fun topic in any language! And you probably already know that kids learn better through fun topics and when they’re enjoying the lesson. So why not teach them Spanish through this topic that brings them so much fun and happiness? Sounds like a great idea to us! They’ll have tons of fun learning!

It’s basic knowledge

We just mentioned to you the popularity of this topic, this makes it basic knowledge for your kids to socialize with other kids. And for children to keep discovering the world around them. But that’s not it.

It’s also basic knowledge in school. One of the first things we learn, even in our mother tongue, are names of animals. Both because it’s easy and because it’s an important, common topic. “What is that? That is a horse” “Which animal makes this sound: rawr? The tiger!”.

So, it’s not really a surprise to see that it’s also one of the main topics taught in Spanish classes, both for natives and bilingual kids. Think about it: It’s so common it should be something everybody knows in their second language.

Spanish Words Related to Wild Animals

Here are some Spanish words that are related to wild animals in one way or another. We’re sure kids will use these when they talk about these extraordinary animals. The pronunciation from Span¡sh D!ctionary is inside the parentheses.

1. Wild animals – Animales salvajes (ah-nee-mahlehs sahl-bah-hehs)
2. Roar – Rugir (rroo-heer)
3. Habitat – Hábitat (ah-bee-taht)
4. Prey – Presa (preh-sah)
5. Predator – Depredador (deh-preh-dah-dohr)
6. Fangs – Colmillos (kohl-mee-yohs)
7. Reptile – Reptil (rrehp-teel)
8. Mammals – Mamíferos (mah-mee-feh-rohs)
9. Birds – Aves (ah-behs)
10. Camouflage / To camouflage – Camuflaje (kah-moo-flah-heh) / Camuflajear (kah-moo-flah-heahr)
11. Jungle – Jungla (hoong-glah)
12. Forest – Bosque (bohs-keh)
13. River – Río (rree-oh)
14. Swamp – Pantano (pahn-tah-noh)

65 Names in Spanish of Wild Animals

Are you ready to roar like a tiger in Spanish or howl like a wolf? That’s great! But first you must know the Spanish names of the different wild animals, so you can act like them properly in Spanish. You’ll notice that the pronunciation of these Spanish words according to the Span¡sh D!ctionary is inside the parentheses.

1. Lion – León (leh-ohn)
2. Tiger – Tigre (tee-greh)
3. Wolf – Lobo (loh-boh)
4. Giraffe – Jirafa (hee-rah-fah)
5. Bear – Oso (oh-soh)
6. Zebra – Cebra (seh-brah)
7. Elephant – Elefante (eh-leh-fahn-the)
8. Horse – Caballo (kah-bah-yoh)
9. Fox – Zorro (soh-rroh)
10. Leopard – Leopardo (leh-oh-pahr-doh)
11. Cheetah – Guepardo (geh-pahr-doh)
12. Jaguar – Jaguar (hah-gwahr)
13. Cougar – Puma (poo-mah)
14. Panther – Pantera (pahn-teh-rah)
15. Coyote – Coyote (koh-yoh-the)
16. Monkey – Mono (moh-noh) / Chango (chahng-goh)
17. Gorilla – Gorila (goh-ree-lah)
18. Orangutan – Orangután (oh-rahng-goo-than)
19. Chimpanzee – Chimpancé (cheem-pahn-seh)
20. Baboon – Babuino (bah-buee-noh)
21. Raccoon – Mapache (mah-pah-cheh)
22. Rhinoceros / Rhino – Rinoceronte (rre-noh-seh-rohn-teh)
23. Hippopotamus – Hipopótamo (ee-poh-poh-tah-moh)
24. Deer – Venado (beh-nah-doh)
25. Moose – Alce (ahl-seh)
26. Antelope – Antílope (ahn-tee-loh-peh)
27. Oryx – Órix (oh-reeks)
28. Meerkat – Suricata (suh-ree-kah-tah)
29. Stag – Ciervo (syehr-boh)
30. Buffalo – Búfalo (boo-fah-loh)
31. Bison – Bisonte (bee-sohn-teh)
32. Boar / Wild boar – Jabalí (hah-bah-lee)
33. Porcupine – Puercoespín (pwehr-koh-ehs-peen)
34. Otter – Nutria (noo-tryah)
35. Koala – Koala (koh-ah-lah)
36. Kangaroo – Canguro (kahng-goo-roh)
37. Hare – Liebre (lyeh-breh)
38. Hyena – Hiena (yeh-nah)
39. Wildcat – Gato montés (gah-toh mohn-tehs) / Gato salvaje (gah-toh sahl-bah-heh)
40. Jackal – Chacal (chah-kahl)
41. Badger – Tejón (teh-hohn)
42. Wombat – Tejón australiano (teh-hohn ows-trah-lyah-noh)
43. Skunk – Zorrillo (soh-rree-yoh)
44. Camel – Camello (kah-meh-yoh)
45. Crocodile – Cocodrilo (koh-koh-dree-loh)
46. Alligator – Caimán (kay-mahn)
47. Lizard – Lgarto (lah-gahr-toh)
48. Armadillo – Armadillo (ahr-mah-dee-yoh)
49. Ant-eater – Oso hormiguero (oh-soh ohr-mee-geh-roh)
50. Aardvark – Cerdo hormiguero (sehr-doh ohr-mee-geh-roh)
51. Pangolin – Pangolín (pahn-goh-leen) / Oso hormiguero escamoso (oh-soh ohr-mee-geh-roh ehs-kah-moh-soh)
52. Lycaon – Licaón (lee-kah-on) / Perro salvaje africano (peh-rroh sahl-bah-heh ah-free-kah-noh)
53. Mongoose – Mangosta (mahng-gohs-tah)
54. Eagle – Águila (ah-gee-lah)
55. Falcon – Halcón (ahl-kohn)
56. Ostrich – Avestruz (ah-behs-troos)
57. Stork – Cigüeña (see-gweh-nyah)
58. Pelican – Pelícano (peh-lee-kah-noh)
59. Gazelle – Gacela (gah-seh-lah)
60. Flamingo – Flamenco (flah-mehn-koh)
61. Toucan – Tucán (too-kahn)
62. Toco toucan – Tucán toco (too-kahn toh-koh)
63. Vulture – Buitre (bwee-treh)
64. Emu – Emú (eh-moo)
65. Okapi – Okapi (oh-kah-pee)

Questions in Spanish about Wild Animals

Here are some questions in Spanish about wild animals to ask your kids. This is a great way to start and encourage a Spanish conversation about a topic they love. But to motivate them to answer in Spanish, you must also ask in Spanish.

1. What’s your favorite wild animal? / ¿Cuál es tu animal salvaje favorito?
2. Which color is that horse? / ¿De qué color es ese caballo?
3. Tell me three types of apes / Dime tres tipos de simios.
4. If you were any wild animal, which one would you be and why? / Si fueras cualquier animal salvaje, ¿cuál serías y porqué?
5. Why do you like lions so much? / ¿Por qué te gustan tanto los leones?
6. Would you describe to me the monkeys you saw at the zoo, please? I like monkeys very much! / ¿Me describirías los monos que viste en el zoológico, por favor? ¡Me gustan mucho los monos!
7. What’s your favorite habitat where wild animals can live? / ¿Cuál es tu hábitat favorito en donde pueden vivir animales salvajes?
8. Describe the jungle to me, please. / Descríbeme la jungla, por favor.
9. Which animals live in a forest? / ¿Qué animales viven en el bosque?
10. Do you prefer wild animals or farm animals and why? / ¿Prefieres animales salvajes o animales de granja y por qué?

Spanish Phrases about Wild Animals

Now, here are some questions and phrases in Spanish about wild animals that your children can use when talking to you, their friends, and family. These are great to express their feelings about wild animals and for them to be the ones that start a conversation about this topic.

1. I love wild animals! / ¡Amo a los animales salvajes!
2. Today at school we learned about wild animals! / ¡Hoy en la escuela aprendimos sobre animales salvajes!
3. My favorite wild animals are the hyenas, like the ones in The Lion King. / Mis animales salvajes favoritos son las hienas, como las de El Rey León.
4. Do you like leopards? Me too! / ¿Te gustan los leopardos? ¡A mí también!
5. I want to go to Australia, because there are many wild animals there. / Quiero ir a Australia porque hay muchos animales salvajes ahí.
6. When I grow up I want to be an explorer to discover even more wild animals! / ¡Cuando crezca quiero ser un explorador para descubrir aún más animales salvajes!
7. Mom, can my birthday party be about wild animals? / Mamá, ¿mi fiesta de cumpleaños puede ser sobre animales salvajes?
8. Dad, guess what? Roberto went to Canada to celebrate Christmas there and he saw a bear! How incredible! / Papá, ¿adivina qué? Roberto fue a Canadá a celebrar la Navidad ahí y vio un oso! ¡Qué increíble!
9. I’m scared of rhinos. / Me dan miedo los rinocerontes.
10. Did you know that the tigers’ stripes help them camouflage? Really, it’s true. I read it somewhere. / ¿Sabías que las rayas de los tigres los ayudan a camuflajearse? Enserio, es verdad. Lo leí en algún lado.

Tips to Practice Spanish Vocabulary for Wild Animals

Play charades

Kids are full of energy and creativity, so they learn better through fun activities. If you play a game with them, they won’t even notice they’re learning.

To play charades in Spanish just write the Spanish names of different wild animals on different pieces of paper. Fold each piece of paper and put it in a bowl. Then, one player must grab one piece of paper and imitate the animal that’s written there.

Of course it should all be mimicking, no words or sounds. All the other players have to guess the animal in Spanish. Then repeat everything with another player.

The player that guessed more animals is the winner!

This will force everyone playing to reinforce their knowledge about wild animal names in Spanish. Because they’ll be screaming different Spanish names until they guess the right animal. So they’ll have to make an effort to remember the animals in Spanish and pronounce the names.

That’s why it would be great if you invited your kids’ friends from language class to play. So they all can practice. But if you can’t do this, you and your children can play just the two of you.

Books!

Children love stories and they’re a great way to learn a new language, because they have a lot of context. And context will allow them to learn and understand the meaning of those tricky words of which they don’t know their exact meaning.

But by reading everything else that’s going on in the page and story, they might figure out the meaning of that difficult word.

Plus, many of the children’s books have illustrations. This is one of the things that will give your kids more context in case they don’t know the meaning of some words. They can just look at the pictures and know what’s going on.

Through books your kids will acquire new vocabulary naturally; they won’t feel like they’re studying. They’ll also learn how and when to use the vocabulary they read.

Throw a wild animals party

If your kids’ birthday is coming up and they love wild animals, you can throw a thematic party. But make it in Spanish!

Decorate the whole house like a jungle or a desert or even cooler, like different habitats. If you choose to hang any posters or letters, make sure it’s in Spanish. For example, instead of putting a “happy birthday” hanging sign, put one that says “Feliz cumpleaños”.

Make sure that you write the invitations in Spanish, so the guests see your commitment. Also, make sure to write in the invitations that the party is in Spanish.

When it’s time to sing “happy birthday”, instead or after it sing “Feliz Cumpleaños” or “Las Mañanitas”.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t invite people that don’t know Spanish. After all, you might have family and friends that don’t know the language but still love your kids. Just make sure to invite many of your children’s friends from Spanish class, or Hispanic people close to you and your kids.

So they’re the ones that create the Spanish environment. If you know the language, you should also speak it.

Oh, and don’t forget to tell people they can wear a costume, or should we say “disfraz”. Your kids can wear the costume of their favorite wild animal.

You can even play charades in the party!

It’ll be super fun!

Learn More Animals and More Spanish with TruFluency Kids

If your kids were excited about learning all these Spanish names of wild animals, they might want to learn even more animals in Spanish. Even better, this might have helped them become excited about learning more Spanish!

And guess what? We’re excited to teach them Spanish! At TruFluency Kids we’re fully committed to your kids’ language learning journey. That’s why we have native teachers who instruct through fun activities and immersion.

So your children will sing, dance, cook, do crafts, play games, and read in our Spanish lessons! There are no dull moments with us!

We also encourage them to speak in Spanish in every single class. This is the best way to achieve Spanish fluency!

Take a 30-minute trial class now! It feels super personalized, because there are no more than four to six students per trial class. After it’s done, join a Q & A for parents, so we answer any questions.