You are watching: Is animal masculine or feminine in spanish
In Spanish, nouns referring to animals, follow two different patterns with regard to your gender.
1. Pet names v masculine and feminine forms
Only because that some pets we use a mrs noun to refer to the male and a feminine noun to describe the female.
It might be the exact same noun with a different ending:
• conejo
• tigre
We have tendency to usage the mrs noun to refer to the animal without the sex distinction:
• conejo
But we use the feminine kind in part cases:
• oveja
2. Pet names with just one form
Most animals, however, have actually a fixed name in Spanish with an arbitrary gender* the we need to learn, together happens with most Spanish nouns.
* psychic that, once speaking about languages, the word sex refers come a grammatical department that might or may not reflect biological sex.
When we desire to differentiate the animal’s sex, we include the native macho
• jirafa macho
• cocodrilo macho
Determiners and also adjectives should agree v the noun’s gender and also not v the animal’s sex. However, macho and hembra space nouns, and also they don’t have to agree in sex nor number through the animal noun:
• La jirafa macho está cansada.
• Esos cocodrilos hembra son pequeños.
In not blocked language, occasionally the short article is supplied to to express the animal’s sex:
• el cocodrilo
A one-of-a-kind case
Remember the feminine noun (referring to animals or not) v a emphasize initial a- take on the masculine-singular articles el and un for factors of pronunciation.
For example, águila
• El águila es rápida.
• Un águila blanca voló sobre nosotros.
And it takes on the feminine short article when provided in plural:
• Las águilas son rápidas.
• Unas águilas blancas volaron sobre nosotros.
Lists of animals in Spanish
Below friend will discover two beneficial lists.
The an initial one contains names of pets in Spanish through two various forms to refer to the male and the female. The noun used to describe the animal without any kind of sex difference is in bold.
The 2nd list contains pet names with only one form, either masculine or feminine. (For the English translation, I’ve consisted of only the basic noun, i.e., words that explains the animal without the sex distinction.)
I’ve chosen simply a couple of animals to list as examples here. Please, contact me if you miss seeing a specific animal or want to asking anything.
Have fun discovering the names of animals in Spanish!
List of pets with two different forms
English | Masculine | Feminine |
buffalo | búfalo | búfala |
donkey | burro | burra |
horse | caballo | yegua |
goat | cabrón | cabra |
camel | camello | camella |
sheep | carnero | oveja |
pig, sow | cerdo | cerda |
deer | ciervo | cierva |
rabbit | conejo | coneja |
elephant | elefante | elefanta |
hen | gallo | gallina |
goose | ganso | gansa |
cat | gato | gata |
lion | león | leona |
wolf | lobo | loba |
parrot | loro | lora |
monkey | mono | mona |
mule | mulo | mula |
bear | oso | osa |
duck | pato | pata |
turkey | pavo | pava |
dog | perro | perra |
tiger | tigre | tigresa |
cow | toro | vaca |
fox | zorro | zorra |
List of pets with only one form
English | Spanish |
bee | abeja (f) |
eagle | águila (f) |
lark | alondra (f) |
antelope | antílope (m) |
squirrel | ardilla (f) |
ostrich | avestruz (m) |
wasp | avispa (f) |
slug | babosa (f) |
whale | ballena (f) |
bison | bisonte (m) |
ox | buey (m) |
owl | búho (m) |
vulture | buitre (m) |
chameleon | camaleón (m) |
canary | canario (m) |
crab | cangrejo (m) |
kangaroo | canguro (m) |
snail | caracol (m) |
carp | carpa (f) |
beaver | castor (m) |
zebra | cebra (f) |
chimpanzee | chimpancé (m) |
bedbug | chinche (m) |
cicada | cigarra (f) |
stork | cigüeña (f) |
swan | cisne (m) |
crocodile | cocodrilo (m) |
coral | coral (m) |
cockroach | cucaracha (f) |
cuckoo | cuco (m) |
crow | cuervo (m) |
dolphin | delfín (m) |
hedgehog | erizo (m) |
beetle | escarabajo (m) |
sponge | esponja (f) |
starfish | estrella de mar (f) |
pheasant | faisán (m) |
flamingo | flamenco (m) |
seal | foca (f) |
tick | garrapata (f) |
heron | garza (f) |
sparrowhawk | gavilán (m) |
gull | gaviota (f) |
swallow | golondrina (f) |
gorilla | gorila (m) |
sparrow | gorrión (m) |
cricket | grillo (m) |
crane | grulla (f) |
hawk | halcón (m) |
hyena | hiena (f) |
hippopotamus | hipopótamo (m) |
ant | hormiga (f) |
ibis | ibis (m) |
wild boar | jabalí (m) |
giraffe | jirafa (f) |
koala | koala (m) |
lizard | lagarto (m) |
sea lion | león marino (m) |
leopard | leopardo (m) |
dragonfly | libélula (f) |
hare | liebre (f) |
lynx | lince (m) |
seal | lobo marino (m) |
earthworm | lombriz (f) |
firefly | luciérnaga (f) |
butterfly | mariposa (f) |
ladybug | mariquita (f) |
jellyfish | medusa (f) |
kite | milano (m) |
blackbird | mirlo (m) |
fly | mosca (f) |
mosquito | mosquito (m) |
bat | murciélago (m) |
otter | nutria (f) |
orangutan | orangután (m) |
caterpillar | oruga (f) |
panda | oso panda (m) |
polar bear | oso polar (m) |
bird | pájaro (m) |
woodpecker | pájaro carpintero (m) |
pigeon | paloma (f) |
panther | pantera (f) |
peacock | pavo real (m) |
pelican | pelícano (m) |
parakeet | periquito (m) |
fish | pez (m) |
penguin | pingüino (m) |
louse | piojo (m) |
moth | polilla (f) |
flea | pulga (f) |
puma | puma (m) |
frog | rana (f) |
rat | rata (f) |
mouse | ratón (m) |
reindeer | reno (m) |
rhinoceros | rinoceronte (m) |
nightingale | ruiseñor (m) |
salamander | salamandra (f) |
grasshopper | saltamontes (m) |
leech | sanguijuela (f) |
toad | sapo (m) |
snake | serpiente (f) |
horsefly | tábano (m) |
badger | tejón (m) |
shark | tiburón (m) |
mole | topo (m) |
turtle | tortuga (f) |
viper | víbora (f) |
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