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October 1, 2022 by Carmen Rizzo Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

200+ Names of Animals in Spanish: Vocabulary for Everyone

Animals in Spanish are a fun and useful topic to learn for kids of all ages! Wherever we go, animals are part of our everyday lives. 

If you like animals and want to expand your Spanish vocabulary and fluency to speak with others about more than basic animals, like dogs or cats, this article is just for you! This massive list is a way for you to have easy access to new Spanish words and names of animals in Spanish. Let’s get to it!

Animal Classification

La clasificación de los animales is the perfect way to categorize the amazing animals of the Earth by their characteristics. This way, it’s easier for experts, zoologists, students, and animal enthusiasts to identify and learn about them.

Here is the classification of the animals in Spanish:

SpanishEnglish
La clasificación de los animalesAnimal classification
Los AcuaticosAquatic
Los Aero-terrestresAerial-terrestrial
Los AnfibiosAmphibians
Las AvesBirds
Los DomesticosDomestic
Los InsectosInsects
Los InvertebradosInvertebrates
Los MamíferosMammals
Los OviparosOviparous
Los PecesFish
Los ReptilesReptiles
Los SalvajesWild
Los TerrestresTerrestrial
Los VertebradosVertebrates
Los VivíparosViviparous

Animals can be classified in multiple categories. For example, dogs are mammals, vertebrates, domestic, and terrestrial animals! 

Practice your newly acquired knowledge with this PDF downloadable worksheet!

Worksheets

Download Our Free 200+ Names of Animals in Spanish Worksheets

Just type in your name and email and we will immediately send two worksheets about animals in Spanish to your inbox!

Domestic Animals in Spanish

Los animales domésticos (domestic animals) are animals that have been chosen and bred to live with in human homes for countless generations. 

Domestic animals are genetically different from their wild ancestors and cousins. There are domestic animals for companionship, farming, and other types of work.

Farm Animals

Known as animales de granja in Spanish, farm animals provide food and/or help with work and production for the thriving of humankind. 

To learn more about farms, read The Definitive Vocabulary Guide: On the Farm in Spanish.

SpanishEnglish
Los animales de granjaFarm animals
El asno / El burroDonkey
El becerroCalf
El bueyOx
La cabra / El cabroGoat
El corderoLamb
El caballoHorse
El cerdo / La cerdaPig
Los cerditos / El lechónPiglets
La gallinaHen
El galloRooster
La llamaLlama
La mulaMule
La ovejaSheep
El pato / La pataDuck
El toroBull
La vacaCow 
La yeguaMare
Animals in Spanish

Companion Animals

On the other hand, los animales de compañía (companionship animals) were domesticated to be companions for humans during their time on Earth and grow with them. 

Dogs were initially domesticated to help with hunting. Over time, they’ve evolved to be the perfect companion for the human being. Many other companion animals also make great pets!

SpanishEnglish
Animales de compañíaCompanion animals
El cachorro / La cachorraPuppy
El conejo / La conejaBunny/Rabbit
El gato / La gataCat
El gatito / La gatitaKitten
El erizoHedgehog
El hurónFerret
El perro / La perraDog
La ranaFrog
El ratónMouse

Wild Animals in Spanish

Animales salvajes (wild animals) live in the wilderness. Many wild animals are in danger of going extinct because of the expansion of urban areas and poor environmental choices that benefit humans and harm the wildlife.

The wild animals on this list are categorized by their habitat: sea, forest, rainforest, and desert.

Sea Animals 

Animals in the sea are known as animales marinos in Spanish. This group contains animals that live in or near the ocean. 

SpanishEnglish
Animales marinosSea animals
Las almejasClams
La anguila Eel
La anguila electricaElectric Eel
La ballenaWhale
La ballena asesina / La orcaKiller whale
La ballena azulBlue whale
La ballena barbadaBaleen whale 
La ballena jorobadaHumpback whale
El caballito de marSea horse
El calamarSquid
El camarón Shrimp
El cangrejoCrab
Los caracolesSea snails
La estrella de marStarfish
El delfínDolphin
La focaSeal
La gaviotaSeagull
El manatíSea Cow 
Las medusasJellyfish
El pez payasoClown fish
El pulpoOctopus
La serpiente marinaSea Snake
El tiburónShark
El tiburón blancoWhite shark
El tiburón martilloHammerhead shark
El tiburón tigreTiger shark
La tortuga marinaSea turtle

Forest Animals

Known as animales del bosque in Spanish, these creatures live in the woods. The forest ecosystem has lots of trees that support a myriad of life forms. The variety of animals that live in the forest is amazing! 

SpanishEnglish
Los animales del bosqueForest animals
El águilaEagle
El alceMoose
La ardillaSquirrel / Chipmunk 
El búhoOwl
El castor / La castoraBeaver
El ciervo / El venadoDeer
El colibríHummingbird
La culebra / La serpienteSnake
El glotón / La glotonaWolverine
El jabalíWild pig / boar
La liebreHare / Jackrabbit
El lobo/ La lobaWolf
El lobeznoWolf cub
El mapacheRacoon
El mirloBlackbird
El oso / La osaBear
El oseznoBear cub
La paloma / El palomoPigeon
El pavoTurkey
El pájaro carpinteroWoodpecker
El puerco espínPorcupine
La rataRat
El tejónBadger
El zorro/  La zorraFox
El zorrillo / La mofetaSkunk

Rainforest Animals

The rainforest or jungle is known as el bosque lluvioso in Spanish. It’s a dense tropical forest rich in biodiversity with consistent rainfall throughout the year. 

Did you know that the animals that live in the rainforest are different than those that live in drier forests? 

SpanishEnglish
Los animales del bosque lluviosoRainforest animals
La anacondaAnaconda
La boa constrictoraBoa constrictor
La cacatuaCockatoo
La guacamaya rojaScarlet Macaw
La iguanaIguana
Las mariposasButterflies
El mono ardillaSquirrel monkey
El oso hormigueroAnteater
El perezoso / La perezosaSloth
La rana arborícola de ojos rojosRed eyed tree frog
La rana dardo venenoso azulBlue poison dart frog
La tarántulaTarantula 
El tucán Toucan
Animals in Spanish

Desert Animals

El desierto (desert) is a dry region that is hot during the day and cold at night. 

The ecosystem on the deserts is impressive! It consists of animals that endure the heat and know how to survive in extreme temperatures with little water.

Impressed by these creatures that can survive such extreme conditions? Learn to talk about desert animals in Spanish! 

SpanishEnglish
Los animales del desiertoDesert animals 
El buitreVulture
El camelloCamel
El carnero de las montañas rocosasBighorn
El correcaminosRoadrunner
El coyoteCoyote
El conejo / la coneja del desiertoDesert rabbit/cottontail
El escorpión Scorpion
El halcón Hawk
La lagartijaLizard
El león / La leona de montañaMountain lion
La serpiente de cascabelRattlesnake
La tarántula del desierto occidentalWestern desert tarantula
La tortuga del desiertoDesert tortoise

Zoo Animals

El zoológico (the zoo) is a manmade park that houses animals from all around the world. 

Animals in the zoo live in cautiverio (captivity). What kinds of animals do you find at the zoo? This list is divided into animals from Africa, Oceanía, America, and Asia. Let’s explore!

African Animals

Los animales africanos are used to extreme conditions like long, hot days, and scarce food and water. African weather can be ruthless, and all the animals that live in this territory are resilient.

SpanishEnglish
Animales AfricanosAfrican animals
El águila coronada africanaAfrican crowned eagle
El avestruzOstrich
El bufalo africanoAfrican Buffalo
La cebraZebra
El elefante africanoAfrican elephant
La hiena manchadaSpotted hyena
El hipopótamoHippopotamus
El impalaImpala
La jirafaGiraffe
El león / La leonaLion
El leopardo africanoAfrican leopard
El lobo etíopeEtiopian Wolf
La suricata / El suricatoMeerkat
El tigreTiger

American Animals

These animals thrive in wet environments, so the North, Central, and South American rainforests, manglars, rivers, and lakes are perfect for them. The different temperatures and heights present throughout the Americas contributes to the region’s biodiversity. 

SpanishEnglish
Animales americanosAmerican animals
El águila harpíaHarpy eagle
La alpácaAlpaca
El caimánAlligator
La capibaraCapybara
El cinguládoCingulata
El coatíCoatí
El condor andinoAndean condor
El ibis rojoRed ibis
El jaguarJaguar
El lobo amelenadoManed wolf
El mono capuchinoCapuchin monkey 
El mono sakiSaki monkey
La pirañaPiranha
El pumaCougar
La zarigueyaOpposum
El tapirTapir
El titíTamarin
La tortuga galápagosGalapagos turtle
La víbora de pestañasEyelash viper

Asian Animals

Asia is a huge continent, so it is not surprising to find such rich diversity of animals in the territory. Los animales asiáticos (Asian animals) are a perfect example of how animals have adapted to the expansion of human territory. 

SpanishEnglish
Animales asiaticosAsian animals
El axis / El chital / El ciervo moteadoAxis deer
El binturong / El manturónBinturong / Bearcat
El cerdo barbudoBearded pig
La cigueña indiaIndian stork
La cobraCobra snake
El dragón de KomodoKomono dragon / Komono lizard
El elefante asiáticoAsian elephant
El faisán plateadoSilver pheasant
El gaur / El bisonte de la IndiaGaur / Indian bison
La grullaCrane
El lagarto monitorMonitor lizard
El lemurLemur
El leopardo de nieveSnow leopard
La mangostaMongoose
El mono monsonMonson monkey
El mono narigudoProboscis monkey
El orangutánOrangutan
El oso himalayoHimalayan bear
El oso pandaPanda bear
El panda rojoRed panda
El pangolínPangolin
El pavo realPeacock
El tarseroTarsier 
La tortuga de agua dulceTerrapin
Animals in Spanish

Animals of Oceania

Oceanía is home to several unique animals. Here’s a list of unique animals that are only found in Australia and the other countries in Oceanía.

SpanishEnglish
Animales de OceaníaOceanía animals
La ave liraLyrebird
El canguroKangaroo
El casuarioCassowary
La cucaburraKookaburra
El diablo de TasmaniaTasmanian devil 
El dingoDingo
El emúEmu
El equidnaEchidna
El ganso cenizoGray goose
El lori arco irisRainbow lorikeet
El koalaKoala
El ornitorrincoPlatypus
El perico de TasmaniaTasmanian parakeet
La rana arbórea de TasmaniaTasmanian tree frog
La tuataraTuatara
El wallaby Wallaby
El wombatWombat
La zarigüeya de cola de escobaBroom-tailed possum

You may have noticed that several animals in Spanish on this list don’t have a name for male and female, and if you change the “o” for an “a”, like with gato and gata, it may not sound right. So how can you communicate that you are talking about a female or a male in Spanish? Easy, with the words hembra (female) and macho (male). Here are some examples:

  • El elefante hembra – female elephant
  • El cocodrilo hembra – female crocodile
  • Una zarigüeya macho – male possum.
  • La rana macho – male frog
  • La hyena macho – male hyena

This was a long list full of information and animal names in Spanish! But the best way to secure all this new knowledge is through practice! Download this PDF worksheet to review and put into practice the names of these animals in Spanish and their habitats all around the world! 

And another great way to practice all this content is learning how the animal sounds in Spanish! Did you know that the sounds change in Spanish and English? To learn more about check out this Kid’s Guide to Animal Sounds in Spanish. 

Keep Learning Spanish! 

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  • Author
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Carmen Rizzo
Carmen Rizzo
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
I’m a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala with a B.A. in Psychology. I have a passion for teaching Sunday school in my spare time and for learning and sharing valuable information. I'm a cat lover who gets excited over cartoons, anime, and video games. I dabble in digital illustration and animation. I'm inspired by sharing my culture, traditions, food, and beliefs with others, while learning about theirs in return.
Carmen Rizzo
Latest posts by Carmen Rizzo (see all)
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