Learn About Endangered Species (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)
Are you trying to find content about endangered species for kids in Spanish? You came to the right place!
In our world there are thousands, if not millions, of different animals and species. Some exist in the same area as we do, and others are thousands of miles away from our home. And while some of them are safe and sound, others are in great danger of disappearing.
The first time I learned about endangered species and the term extinción (extincion) I was no older than 7 years old.
My mom was singing a children’s song about el pato poc ( poc duck)—an endemic duck species of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala—and I asked her where and when I could see it. She told me the duck was an extinct species and there weren’t more of them on the planet. I remember feeling sad about it, but it also started a really important conversation: The responsibility that we as humans have with nature.
If you are planning to start a similar conversation with your children in Spanish, I got your back! Let’s learn today all about endangered species, the most important words and expressions to teach this topic in Spanish, endangered species facts, and how we can help to create conscience about it, even at a young age.
Let’s begin!
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A Guide To Endangered Species for Kids in Spanish
The moment life began on our planet, animal and plant life went through different transformations.
Our planet is so old that we can consider extinction as a really normal and natural phenomenon. Experts know that with each year we can expect the extinction between one to five species of different specimens.
In fact, since life on Earth began, there have been, at least, five mass extinctions through the millions of years that our Planet has been home to thousands of species.
What is not normal is that instead of losing just up to 5 species per year, we are losing almost a dozen species everyday!
The species that we haven’t lost but are really close to disappearing are called animales en peligro de extinción (endangered species) and those that don’t exist anymore are called animales extinguidos (extinct animals).
It is considered that a species is endangered when all the representatives of it around the world are in danger of disappearing.
Why Do Animals Go Extinct?
The reason animals are getting extinct can be a little bit complicated.
While we now know that extinction is a normal process in nature, fast advancing extinction like we are witnessing today is not, and there are a lot of reasons why animals, plants, and even microorganisms are dying.
The reasons for extinction change from one species to the other. For some species, climate change can be mortal, while for others it is just deforestation, and others are just incapable of adapting.
Here is a small endangered species list of animals that are at the border of extinction in Spanish:
| English | Spanish |
| climate change | el cambio climático |
| contamination | la contaminación |
| deforestation | la deforestación |
| illegal hunting/ poaching | la caza furtiva/ilegal |
| illegal traffic of species | el tráfico ilegal de especies |
| infectious diseases | las enfermedades infecciosas |
| introduction of exotic species | la introducción de especies exóticas |
| pathogens | los patógenos |
Endangered Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the most important organization and authority for the conservation of nature.
Because of their work they have an endangered species list—called the red list— where the most endangered species are listed and presented for us to learn about them, and to learn about all the work people around the world are doing to preserve them.
Here are some endangered species examples for you to learn about with your kids in Spanish.
Amphibians (Los anfibios)
Los anfibios (amphibians) are cold-blooded vertebrates that spend a lot of their life between water and land. All amphibians are born with gills to make their life in the water easier, and while some of them retain them after growing up, others lose them when reaching maturity.
Endangered Species of Amphibians for Kids in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| aquatic salamander | la salamandra acuática |
| axolotl | el ajolote |
| Chinese giant salamander | la salamandra gigante china |
| Darwin’s frog | la rana de Darwin |
| Guatemalan bromeliad salamander | la salamandra guatemalteca de bromelia |
| harlequin frog | la rana arlequín |
| jumping salamander | la salamandra saltarina |
| Lehmann poison frog | la rana venenosa de Lehmann |
| poison dart frog | la rana dardo venenosa |
| tree frog | la rana arborícola |
Birds (Aves)
Las aves, or birds, are warm-blooded vertebrates that have feathers, toothless beaked jaws, lay eggs and have a lightweight but strong skeletal structure. All birds have wings, although not all of them are able to fly.
Endangered Bird Species for Kids in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| African grey parrot | el loro gris africano |
| California condor | el cóndor californiano |
| fruit dove | las palomas frugívoras |
| great curassow | el paujíl/ pavón norteño |
| hooded grebe | el macá tobiano |
| kakapo | el kakapo/ kákapu |
| kiwi | el kiwi |
| military macaw | el guacamayo militar |
| northern bald ibis | el ibis calvo del norte |
| philippine eagle | el águila filipina |
| regent honeyeater | el mielero regente |
| snowy owl | el búho nival |
| ultramarine lorikeet | el lori ultramar |
| white-rumped vulture | el buitre dorsiblanco bengalí |
Insects (Los insectos)
Los insectos (insects) are an invertebrate species. They are characterized for having an exoskeleton, a body that is divided in three parts: head, thorax and abdomen, jointed legs, compound eyes and antennae. They are the most diverse species of animals and have more than a million species, which makes experts think that at least 90% of species on our planet are insects.
Endangered Insect Species for Kids in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| barberry carpet moth | la polilla del agracejo |
| bees | las abejas |
| giant flightless darkling beetle | el escarabajo oscuro gigante no volador |
| monarch butterfly | la mariposa monarca |
| Tahoe stonefly | el plecóptero |
Mammals (Los mamíferos)
Los mamíferos (mammals) are a group of vertebrate animals that are mostly characterized for being hot-blooded and having mammary glands. The females of this species produce milk to feed their young. Mammals also characterized themselves for having a neocortex, having fur or hair and three middle ear bones.
There are around 6,400 species of mammals.
Endangered Mammal Species for Kids in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| Amur leopard | el leopardo de Amur |
| black rhino | el rinoceronte negro |
| blue whales | las ballenas azules |
| chimpanzee | el chimpancé |
| dolphins | los delfines |
| eastern lowland gorilla | el gorila de las tierras bajas del este |
| iberian lynx | el línce ibérico |
| mandril | el mandril |
| multi-colored tamarin | el tamarino multicolor |
| orangutan | el orangután |
| panda bear | el oso panda |
| pangolin | el pangolín |
| polar bear | el oso polar |
| Sumatran elephant | el elefante de Sumatra |
| western lowland gorilla | el gorila de las tierras bajas del oeste |
Reptiles (Los reptíles)
Los reptiles (reptiles) are a classification of animals that are characterized for cold-blooded vertebrates that lay eggs. They usually have four limbs, or at least, came from common ancestors with four legs. While they can be in the water, reptiles can’t live in it, like amphibians.
As a fun fact, a lot of reptiles are closely related to birds in evolutionary terms.
Endangered Reptile Species for Kids in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| angonoka tortoise | la tortuga angonoka |
| giant tortoise | la tortuga gigante |
| green turtle | la tortuga verde |
| leatherback turtle | la tortuga laúd |
| loggerhead turtle | la tortuga boba |
| marine iguana | la iguana marina |
| sea turtle | la tortuga de mar |
Explore more FREE SPANISH LESSONS FOR KIDS! ➡️
Enjoy over 70 unique lessons + free activity packets to download.
How Can We Help Endangered Species?
I am glad to tell you that you are already helping endangered species!
The first step is to learn about them, and you just did, and in English and Spanish!
Not all of us have the opportunity to travel to far away lands to help endangered species, so let’s learn about some resources on endangered species for kids in Spanish.
First, we can use books! Here is a list of 5 of the best books in Spanish to use as resources with our children:
- Endangered Animals of North America: Animales en peligro de extinción de América del Norte
- ¿Nos ayudas? ¡Salvemos a los animales en peligro de extinción!
- Brown Bear and Friends- Oso panda, oso panda, ¿qué ves ahí?
- Animales en peligro de extinción: descubrir imágenes y hechos para niños
- Un día más y otras historias: Cuentos sobre animales en peligro de extinción
Or you can check this videos on YouTube to learn about this topic in more depth:
- 10 Endangered Animals- 10 animales en peligro de extinción
- Protect Endangered Animals- Proteger a los animales en peligro de extinción
- How To Help Endangered Animals- Cómo ayudar a los animales en peligro de extinción
All these resources help us to understand about la conservación (conservation) and la protección (protection) of endangered species and their habitats and biomes so we can take action.
But this is not an easy task.
The protection of endangered species takes a lot of resources, like money, time and space. For some animals to survive, their habitats have to be reconstructed or they have to be relocated in order to survive.
Zoos and sanctuaries play an important role in the conservation of endangered species. While living there is just a shadow of their real homes, these places provide endangered animals a safe haven to survive, reproduce, and thrive.
Another element that can help in the conservation of endangered species is the fight against contamination, deforestation and climate change. Those are issues that concern everyone, and even when governments and giant corporations are the most involved in long term solutions, we can help with small but important actions, like decreasing our carbon print or our waste.
If you want activities about endangered species for kids, you can check our downloadable content for activities to do inside and outside the classroom.
Let’s Learn Spanish To Help Our World
Our world is huge and full of diversity. Just look at how many species of animals live on it!
Spanish is a great way to expand your child’s global awareness and help them understand diversity! Learning a new language opens our eyes to a world full of new cultures, words, and friends. It also teaches them to respect and celebrate diversity.
What’s more, young children have an incredible ability to pronounce foreign and unfamiliar sounds and understand complex grammar rules. The earlier they begin, the easier it is for them to learn—although any age is a great time to start!
Do you need support in your classroom? Homeschool Spanish Academy provides 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 online Spanish classes for K-12 students. We can help alleviate the difficulty of having many students of varying levels of performance. Check out our group class page and give a look to the content we can provide you and your children.
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“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
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