Zoo Animals in Spanish (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)
Are you visiting the zoológico (zoo)?
Help your little ones learn about zoo animals in Spanish with a vocabulary lesson and free downloadable activities!
Children love animals: reading about them, watching them on TV, looking at their pictures, and meeting them in person.
With these lessons, worksheets, videos, and songs, they’ll be able to learn about these wonderful creatures in both Spanish and English.
Let’s explore the world of zoo animals in Spanish!
Table of Contents:
- Zoo Animals in Spanish – Los animales del zoológico en español
- The Zoo in Spanish – El zoológico en español
- Brighten Your Little One’s Future!
Download FREE Zoo Animals in Spanish Activities for Kids!
Type your name and email below to get four activities for kids about zoo animals in Spanish!
Zoo Animals in Spanish – Los animales del zoológico en español
These charts about zoo animals in Spanish are divided into categories: amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. I included a list of farm animals because that is a category easy to spot for them.
Animals’ Gender – El género de los animales
Some zoo animals in Spanish have names that change according to gender.
While a number of them have distinctive names like la vaca (cow) and el toro (bull), others need a gender indication:
- Bear: el oso (male), la osa (female)
- Cat: el gato (male), la gata (female)
- Dog: el perro (male), la perra (female)
- Goose: el ganso (male), la gansa (female)
- Lion: el león (male), la leona (female)
However, for those that do not have a gender variation, you add the word hembra (female) or macho (male) afterwards:
El koala macho
The male koala
La koala hembra
The female koala
Remember, the article that indicates gender (el, la) and number (los, las).
Recommended reading: Animals Parts and Anatomy (Free Spanish Lessons For Kids)
Amphibians – Los anfibios
Amphibians live in water and on land. They have branquias (gills) so they can breathe underwater and aletas (fins) so they can swim.
The word “amphibian” means “those who live in two elements.”
English | Spanish |
frog | la rana |
newt | el tritón |
salamander | la salamandra |
toad | el sapo |
Among the 10 countries with the most amphibian biodiversity, Ecuador has three times more amphibian species than the next country in line.
Take a virtual tour of Amaru Zoo Biopark in Ecuador and check out their colorful animals.
Birds – Las aves
These zoo animals in Spanish are easy to remember! Birds have feathers, wings, and beaks. Some can be domesticated, while others are wild.
English | Spanish |
crane | la grulla |
dove | la paloma |
duck | el pato |
eagle | el águila |
falcon, hawk | el halcón |
flamingo | el flamenco |
goose | el ganso |
heron | la garza |
ostrich | el avestruz |
owl | la lechuza, el búho |
parrot | la cotorra, el loro |
peacock | el pavo real |
penguin | el pingüino/a |
Handpicked for you: A Parent’s Guide to Spanish Immersion for Preschool Students
Mammals – Los mamíferos
As humans, we bare mammals category. We share almost all of our DNA (99%!) with the chimpanzee.
English | Spanish |
anteater | el oso hormiguero |
bear | el oso/a |
cheetah | el guepardo |
chimpanzee | el chimpancé |
elephant | el elefante/a |
fox | el zorro/a |
giraffe | la jirafa |
gorilla | el/la gorila |
leopard | el leopardo |
lion | el león/a |
monkey | el mono/a |
rhinoceros | el rinoceronte |
tiger | el tigre, la tigresa |
zebra | la cebra |
Reptiles – Los reptiles
Reptiles can be sneaky. While they may seem to have no intention of moving, they’re often hunting prey.
English | Spanish |
alligator | el lagarto |
caiman | el caimán |
crocodile | el cocodrilo |
snake | la culebra, la serpiente |
turtle, tortoise | la tortuga |
Omaha’s Henry Doyle Zoo has the world’s largest indoor desert—one of the natural habitats of reptiles—and is ranked as one of the world’s best.
Farm animals – Los animales de granja
Farm animals are those that humans use for food, either the animal itself or their products. You’d probably find these animals at a petting zoo.
English | Spanish |
bee | la abeja |
bull | el toro |
chicken | el pollo |
cow | la vaca |
donkey | el burro/a |
goat | la cabra |
hen | la gallina |
horse | el caballo |
pig | el cerdo/a |
rabbit | el conejo/a |
rooster | el gallo |
sheep | la oveja |
turkey | el pavo |
Watch this YouTube video with your kids to learn a song about farm animals in Spanish: Los animales de la granja (farm animals).
Groups of Animals – Los conjuntos de animales
Check out these collective nouns that refer to animals.
English | Spanish |
school of fish | el banco de peces |
cattle | el ganado |
flock of birds | la bandada, la parvada de pájaros |
herd of lions | la manada de leones |
pack of wolves | la jauría de lobos |
swarm of bees | el enjambre de abejas |
Check out: Celebrate Earth Day in Spanish
The Zoo in Spanish – El zoológico en español
No lesson about zoo animals in Spanish would be complete without a section about zoo-related words and verbs.
English | Spanish |
aquarium | el acuario |
aviary | el aviario |
bathrooms | los sanitarios |
cage | la jaula |
entrance | la entrada |
exit | la salida |
fence | la reja |
parking lot | el aparcamiento |
restaurant | el restaurante |
souvenir shop | la tienda de recuerdos |
ticket | el boleto |
ticket window | la taquilla |
zoo | el zoológico |
zookeeper | el cuidador |
See also: The 5 Senses in Spanish (Free Spanish Lessons For Kids)
Actions at the Zoo – Las acciones en el zoológico
English | Spanish |
to buy a souvenir | comprar un recuerdo |
to buy tickets | comprar las entradas |
to feed the animals | alimentar a los animales |
to look for the aquarium | buscar el acuario |
to take pictures | tomar fotos |
to touch an animal | tocar un animal |
to wait in line | esperar en la fila |
to watch the gorillas’ behavior | observar el comportamiento de los gorilas |
Continue reading: Fun and Fascinating Facts about the Rainbow (Free Spanish Lessons For Kids)
Brighten Your Little One’s Future!
Learning a new language through children’s favorite topics is both fun and effective. You do so much for your children by guiding them to learn a second language.
However, teaching Spanish is a lot of work. Why not leave it to the experts?
At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we help 24,000 students develop with our method. We offer online and flexible classes with certified, -speaking teachers. This improves kids’ conversational skills and accelerates their overall progress.
More than 580 million people speak Spanish worldwide, and 22 countries have it as an official language. Give your kids the tools they need to connect better to other people and develop an interest in diverse cultures. When they grow up, they’ll have a chance to land a better job with better paychecks and travel more easily in Spain and Latin America.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity: check our affordable pricing and flexible programs. Sign up your child for a free trial class today!
Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these
“My Son, Heath, is taking the classes. He’s been with Luisa the entire time and we absolutely love her. She is always patient and is a great teacher. Heath’s dad speaks Spanish so they get to have little conversations.”
– William R, Parent of 3
“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!”
– Erica P. Parent of 1
“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. I have appreciated the one on one interaction and teaching that my son gets from his teachers. He has gotten to know his teachers, which has increased his confidence in speaking Spanish. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
– Maple, Parent of 3
Want more free Spanish lessons, fun content, and easy learning strategies for kids? Check these out!
- How You Can Encourage Your Child To Speak Spanish at Home
- Keep Your Spanish Skills Sharp Over Summer Vacation
- Discover the Joy of Learning Spanish with Summer Fun Activities
- 7 Powerful Reasons Why Bilingualism in Children MattersPowerful Reasons Why Bilingualism in Children Matters
- Fall En Español: Exploring Autumn Activities for Kids
- Fun and Language: Spanish Playdates for Kids
- Milestone Moments: Tracking Kids’ Spanish Progress
- Building Blocks: Kid-Friendly Spanish Grammar
- Learn These 20 Types of Fish in Spanish [+ More Vocab] - September 4, 2024
- The Most Extensive Guide Ever to House Vocabulary in Spanish - August 1, 2024
- What Is An Umbrella School? - June 20, 2024