Kids are always exploring the world around them. They’re curious by nature and want to know everything. One of the things they always want to know more about is animals.
We totally understand them! Animals are very different creatures to humans. They’re also very cute and make all kinds of different sounds. Oh, and there are tons of different animals living in a wide variety of habitats! All of this inevitably sparks curiosity in children.
That’s why one of the first things kids start learning are the names of the animals. It’s like basic knowledge for them. If they do this in their mother tongue, why not in their second language? It’s just as important.
So, if your kids are learning Spanish as a second language, they should learn different animal names in Spanish. To help you start here’s a list of desert animal names in Spanish. We’re sure kids will be mesmerized by all of them.
Why Learn the Spanish Names of Desert Animals?
Useful knowledge
Learning about desert animals in Spanish is useful knowledge, because they can use them in conversations with native Spanish speakers. Even though desert animals are not the most common to see around us, their names can pop up in conversations every now and then.
Especially because deserts exist on all the continents, so it’s a very important topic. And your children will have the knowledge to talk about deserts anytime. It’s also useful, because some Spanish speaking countries have important deserts. Like the “Desierto de Chihuahua” in Mexico, the biggest desert of North America.
Or the “Desierto de la Patagonia Occidental” in Argentina and parts of Chile. Or the “Desierto de Siloli” in Bolivia. So, your kids will be able to learn more about those deserts and which creatures live there by knowing desert animal names.
They’ll get to learn some cool facts about an important ecosystem of amazing Hispanic countries! So yes, this knowledge will come in handy when visiting these countries or talking with locals.
It’s basic knowledge
Kids start learning animal names ever since they’re very young. Maybe they start with what they can see in their houses, like dogs or cats. But they eventually start learning about other animals that, even though may not live in their houses, are still important to know.
This is the case of animals from the desert. It’s basic knowledge for life. And it’s not only basic knowledge in their mother tongue, but also in any other language they learn. It’s one of the first things kids learn in life and in school.
So, if they’re learning Spanish, they must also learn names of animals from the desert in Spanish. It’s part of the basic vocabulary in Spanish.
Make new friends
Hispanic kids are also learning about animals and they love them! They’re as curious about this topic as other kids. And desert animals are so exotic and not so commonly seen around our houses that they spark curiosity. That’s why this is a great conversation topic among children.
If your kids know the names in Spanish of some of these interesting animals, they’ll be able to talk with Hispanic kids about them. They’ll engage in long conversations about their favorite desert animal, which are the scariest ones, which are the cutest…
This will open the door for new friends from another country! International friendships are awesome, because they’ll make your kids more culturally aware and empathetic. And they’ll learn new things.
Your children can also talk about desert animals in Spanish with friends from their Spanish classes. This can be a way for all of them to practice their Spanish speaking skills by talking about something interesting and useful.
They might even feel safer making mistakes in front of their classmates, because they’re also just learning the language and aren’t experts yet. This will help strengthen their friendship.
Spanish Words Related to Desert Animals
When talking about desert animals in Spanish there are some words that your kids will inevitably use. To help them hold these conversations easily and fluently here are some words in Spanish related to desert animals and their habitat. The pronunciation according to the Span¡shD!ctionary is inside the parentheses:
- Desert animals – Animales del desierto (ah-nee-mahl-ehs dehl deh-syehr-toh) / Animales desérticos (ah-nee-mahl-ehs deh-sehr-tee-kohs)
- Desert – Desierto (deh-syehr-toh)
- Cactus – Cactus (kahk-toos)
- Sand – Arena (ah-reh-nah)
- Dry – Seco (seh-koh)
- Arid – Árido (ah-ree-doh)
- Sandstorm – Tormenta de arena (tohr-mehn-tah deh ah-reh-nah)
- Tumbleweed – Planta rodadora (plan-tah rroh-dah-doh-rah)
- Sand dune – Duna (doo-nah)
- Rocks – Rocas (rroh-kahs)
- Hot – Calor (kah-lohr)
- Sun – Sol (sohl)
Spanish Names of Desert Animals
Here are some important desert animals in Spanish that your kids must know. The pronunciation of each is inside the parenthesis; we recommend you check the Span¡shD!ctionary web for more pronunciation tips.
- Lion – León (leh-ohn)
- Camel – Camello (kah-meh-yoh)
- Spider – Araña (ah-rah-nyah)
- Tarantula – Tarántula (tah-rahn-too-lah)
- Coyote – Coyote (koh-yoh-teh)
- Snake – Serpiente (sehr-pyehn-teh)
- Meerkat – Suricata (suh-ree-kah-tah)
- Kangaroo – Canguro (kahng-goo-roh)
- Hyena – Hiena (yeh-nah)
- Fox – Zorro (soh-rroh)
- Kit fox – Zorro kit (soh-rroh keet)
- Fennec fox – Zorro fénec (soh-rroh feh-nehk)
- Jackal – Chacal (chah-kahl)
- Anteater – Oso hormiguero (oh-soh ohr-mee-geh-roh)
- Ant – Hormiga (ohr-mee-gah)
- Rat – Rata (rrah-tah)
- Gerbil – Jerbo (hehr-boh)
- Lizard – Lagartija (lah-gahr-tee-hah) / Lagarto (lah-gahr-toh)
- Ostrich – Avestruz (ah-behs-troos)
- Roadrunner – Correcaminos (koh-rreh-kah-mee-nohs)
- Desert tortoise – Tortuga del desierto (tohr-too-gah dehl deh-syehr-toh)
- Sand cat – Gato de las arenas (gah-toh deh lahs ah-reh-nahs) / Gato del desierto (gah-toh dehl deh-syehr-toh)
- Desert cottontail – Conejo del desierto (koh-neh-hoh dehl deh-syehr-toh)
- Desert locust – Langosta del desierto (lahng-gohs-tah dehl deh-syehr-toh)
- Desert iguana – Iguana del desierto (ee-gwah-nah dehl deh-syehr-toh)
- Arabian oryx – Órix de Arabia (ohr-eeks deh ah-rah-bee-ah) / Órice de Arabia (oh-ree-seh deh ah-rah-bee-ah)
- Pronghorn – Berrendo (beh-rrehn-doh) / Antílope americano (ahn-tee-loh-peh ah-meh-reek-ah-noh)
- Eagle – Águila (ah-gee-lah)
- Hawk – Halcón (ahl-kohn)
- Gila Woodpecker – Pájaro carpintero de Gila (pah-hah-roh kahr-peen-the-roh deh hee-lah)
- Desert bighorn sheep – Borrego cimarrón del desierto (boh-rreh-goh see-mah-rrohn dehl deh-syehr-toh)
- Scorpion – Escorpión (ehs-kohr-pyohn)
- Beetle – Escarabajo (ehs-kah-rah-bah-hoh)
Questions in Spanish about Desert Animals for Beginner Learners
It’s time to ask your kids some questions in Spanish related to sea animals. We know your kids might be nervous about answering in Spanish, but it’s necessary for them to start practicing. The fact that it’ll be about an interesting topic for them will make the whole Q & A less stressful.
Plus, we’ll start easy. You can’t ask them a difficult question for them to give a long answer if they’re complete beginners. So here are some Spanish questions about desert animals for very young children or beginner learners:
- Do you like coyotes? / ¿Te gustan los coyotes?
- Are you afraid of spiders? / ¿Le tienes miedo a las arañas?
- Are meerkats red? / ¿Las suricatas son rojas?
- Would you like to be a lizard? / ¿Te gustaría ser una lagartija?
- Do roadrunners run fast? / ¿Los correcaminos corren rápido?
- Oh my god, look over there! Is that an eagle? / ¡Oh dios mío, mira ahí! ¿Eso es un águila?
- Is the desert big? / ¿El desierto es grande?
- Is the desert super cold? / ¿El desierto es muy frío?
- Do snakes live in the desert? / ¿Las serpientes viven en el desierto?
- Would you like to see a lion face to face? / ¿Te gustaría ver a un león cara a cara?
- Would you like to visit the desert? / ¿Te gustaría visitar el desierto?
- What’s your favorite desert animal? / ¿Cuál es tu animal del desierto favorito?
You’ll notice most of these questions can be answered with just one word, especially with just “yes” (sí) or “no” (no). But this won’t help your kids practice very well, so don’t allow your kids to take the easy way out. If they answer with just one word, ask them to please use full sentences. How? Here’s an example:
- ¿Te gustan los coyotes? (Do you like coyotes?)
- Sí, me gustan los coyotes. (Yes, I like coyotes).
- No, no me gustan los coyotes. (No, I don’t like coyotes).
- ¿Las suricatas son rojas? (Are meerkats red?)
- No, las suricatas no son rojas. (No, meerkats aren’t red).
This way children will practice more vocabulary than just one word like “yes” or “no”. As well as how to say and structure full sentences.
Questions in Spanish about Desert Animals for a Conversation
Now, here are some questions in Spanish about desert animals that need more than one word to be answered. So they’re perfect to ask your kids once they’ve mastered the questions above and know a bit more vocabulary or are at a higher level.
These questions are great to encourage a Spanish conversation about these interesting animals:
- Why do you love lions so much? / ¿Por qué te gustan tanto los leones?
- Why are you afraid of ostriches? / ¿Por qué te dan miedo las avestruces?
- Would you please tell me the name of five desert animals? / ¿Me dirías el nombre de cinco animales del Desierto, por favor?
- Why do you like the desert so much? / ¿Por qué te gusta tanto el desierto?
- Since sand cats are your favorite animals, would you please tell everything you know about them? / Ya que los gatos de las arenas son tus
- animales favoritos, ¿me podrías decir todo lo que sepas de ellos, por favor?
- I’ve never seen a camel, would you describe it to me, please? / Nunca he visto un camello, ¿me lo describirías, por favor?
- Would you please describe me the desert? / ¿Me podrías describir el desierto, por favor?
- If you were to be a desert animal, which one would you be and why? / Si tuvieras que ser un animal del desierto, ¿cuál serías y por qué?
- Which animals have you learned in your Spanish class? / ¿Qué animales has aprendido en tu clase de español?
Phrases in Spanish about Desert Animals
It’s time to teach your kids how to start or keep a Spanish conversation about desert animals going. They can do these by using one of the phrases below. They’re perfect for expressing feelings and ideas regarding these curious animals:
- Desert animals are my favorite animals! / ¡Los animales del desierto son mis animales favoritos!
- My favorite desert animal is the lion! / ¡Mi animal desértico favorito es el león!
- I’m afraid of scorpions! / ¡Me dan miedo los escorpiones!
- I think anteaters look very cute, don’t you think so? / Yo creo que los osos hormigueros se ven muy lindos, ¿no lo crees?
- Lisa said she used to live near a desert, wow! / Lisa dijo que ella vivía cerca de un desierto, ¡wow!
- I wouldn’t like to live in a desert because it’s very hot, and I don’t like hot weather. / A mí no me gustaría vivir en un desierto porque hace mucho calor y no me gusta el calor.
- We’re learning desert animal names in Spanish class. / Estamos aprendiendo nombres de animales del desierto en la clase de Español.
- If I had to be an animal I would like to be a fox because they’re very clever, and you? / Si yo tuviera que ser un animal me gustaría ser un zorro, porque son muy astutos, ¿y tú?
- I would like to see a desert cottontail because they remind me of my own rabbit, Bunny. / A mí me gustaría ver un conejo del desierto porque me recuerdan a mi propio conejo, Bunny.
- Did you know that camels can survive many days and even weeks without drinking water? Wow! / ¿Sabías que los camellos pueden vivir muchos días y hasta semanas sin tomar agua? ¡Wow!
- Desert animals are very interesting! / ¡Los animales del desierto son muy interesantes!
- I would like to visit a desert one day to see all the animals! / ¡Me gustaría visitar un desierto algún día para ver todos los animales!
How to Practice Spanish Vocabulary about Desert Animals
Play a memory card game
Learning through games is always a great idea! Games are super fun, so kids won’t even notice that they’re studying, learning or acquiring tons of vocabulary. They will simply be enjoying the game. So this is a great way to reinforce your kids’ Spanish knowledge.
A classic and popular game is the memory card game, right? Then you can adapt it to be about desert animals. You can do this by creating your own memory card game. On our blog, we have a guide to do it. Instead of using the words we suggest on that blog, use words we taught you here.
There will have to be various pairs of cards. In one card there can be the image of one desert animal. In the other card there can be the name of that animal but only in Spanish. Do this until you have many pairs of desert animals cards.
It’s time to play! Since your kids aren’t fluent yet, you have to pay close attention to when they turn over two cards, so you can see the animal and the name truly match each other.
Make sure you and your kids only speak Spanish while creating the game and then while playing it.
Watch YouTube
What? YouTube? Can kids actually learn something from watching YouTube videos? Well, yes, of course! There are some fun and educational online videos out there.
Look up for videos in Spanish about desert animals. You’ll find from interesting documentaries or documentary clips to animated videos. These last ones are the most attractive for kids, but don’t rule out the interesting element of documentaries.
If your children are super young, then show them animated videos and cartoons.
If they’re older and love desert animals, you can try with a documentary or some clips from a documentary. Because they’ll learn a lot from it.
Through videos in Spanish, they’ll have tons of fun by being online. At the same time as they acquire vocabulary and improve their Spanish skills, because they’ll be watching useful videos.
Songs
There’s nothing better than learning a language through music! Songs can be so catchy, and that’s exactly what makes us sing along to it and play it over and over again. Just think about a time when your children got obsessed with a son from a children’s show. They probably wouldn’t stop listening to it and singing it, right?
Now imagine that they listen to songs in Spanish about desert animals. If they’re catchy and have a great rhythm, they’ll repeat it a thousand times. You might get sick of it, but it’ll improve their Spanish skills, from listening to speaking.
Even if your kids are very young or even babies, it’s never too early to start introducing them to music that could help them with their first steps towards bilingualism. They’ll start training their ears for the Spanish language.
Explore More of the Spanish Language
Did you have fun exploring the desert with us? Great! We had fun guiding you through this ecosystem and its captivating residents. Now it’s time to keep going. We’re ready to go more in depth into the Spanish language and guide your kids through it all!
TruFluency Kids offers Spanish immersion classes with native teachers! How cool! This means they’ll have the best guides throughout their Spanish journey, and they’ll learn tons of useful things. From grammar to reading to speaking, we teach all the language skills your children need.
We focus even more on speaking. After all, learning a language is about being able to communicate in it. That’s why we base all our lessons on our Bellieu Method, created by our founder and CEO, Micah Bellieu.
Through it we encourage students to speak in their target language using everything they’ve learned in class. So don’t be too shocked when your kids achieve Spanish fluency!
The best of all is that we teach through fun activities, like singing, dancing, doing crafts, reading, and even cooking. All in Spanish.
Then, enroll your kids in our next four-week session. You won’t regret it!
