Animal Names in English: 30 Animals With Pictures and Sound
Animal names are the English words for animals, like dog, cat, cow, tiger, whale and panda. Here are 30 of them, each with a picture, the sound of the word, an easy meaning and an example sentence. They go from easy words for beginners (level A1) to rare wild animals (level C2), and each group has a free picture game.
▶ Play the animals game
Jewel Quest English, a free picture game: Animals, level 1
Tap 🔊 Listen to hear the word, and the small speaker to hear the example. Each animal has a link to the game level that teaches it.
13 easy animal names (A1)
These are the first animal words in English: pets, farm animals and a few famous wild ones. Children learn them first, and you hear them every day.
1. Dog
A pet that many people keep at home. Dogs bark, and they love to run and play with people.
My dog likes to run in the park.
2. Fish
An animal that lives in water. It swims with its tail and fins, and it breathes under water.
A fish can swim in the sea.
The plural is usually fish: one fish, two fish.
3. Cat
A small pet with soft fur and a long tail. Cats say meow, and they like to sleep a lot.
The cat is sleeping on the bed.
4. Horse
A big, strong animal with long legs. Horses can run very fast, and people ride them.
She rides a horse on the farm.
5. Bird
An animal with feathers and wings. Most birds can fly, and many of them sing.
A little bird is singing in the tree.
6. Cow
A big farm animal that gives us milk. Cows eat grass and say moo.
The cow gives us milk.
7. Pig
A pink farm animal with a round nose and a short, curly tail.
The pig lives on a farm.
8. Lion
A big wild cat from Africa. A male lion has a lot of long hair around its head.
A lion is a very big cat.
9. Elephant
The biggest animal on land. It is gray, with big ears and a very long nose called a trunk.
The elephant has a very long nose.
10. Snake
A long, thin animal with no legs. It moves along the ground, and some snakes are dangerous.
The snake is long and green.
11. Chicken
A farm bird that lays eggs. Chickens can't fly very well.
The chicken lays eggs every day.
Chicken is also the meat: We had chicken for dinner.
12. Sheep
A farm animal with thick, soft wool. People make warm sweaters from its wool.
The sheep has soft white wool.
The plural is the same word: one sheep, ten sheep.
13. Mouse
A very small animal with gray or brown fur and a long, thin tail. In cartoons, mice love cheese.
The little mouse likes cheese.
One mouse, two mice. A computer mouse has the same name.
▶ Play Animals
Jewel Quest English: Animals (A1), 10 levels
7 zoo and sea animal names (A2)
Big animals you see at the zoo, animals of the sea, and two small ones you can find near your home: a spider and a frog.
14. Bear
A big, heavy wild animal with thick fur. Bears live in forests and in the mountains, and they eat fish, fruit and honey.
We saw a big bear near the river.
15. Tiger
A big wild cat with orange fur and black stripes. Tigers live in Asia.
The tiger has orange fur with black stripes.
16. Spider
A small animal with eight long legs. Many spiders make a web, a net of very thin threads, to catch flies.
There is a big spider in the bathroom.
A spider is not an insect: insects have six legs, and spiders have eight.
17. Shark
A big fish with a tall fin on its back and many sharp teeth. Some sharks are dangerous to people.
A shark swam close to the boat.
18. Whale
The biggest animal in the sea. A whale is not a fish: it comes up to breathe air.
The whale came up to breathe.
19. Frog
A small green animal with smooth skin and long back legs. It jumps very well and lives near water.
A little green frog jumped into the pond.
20. Penguin
A black and white bird that lives in very cold places. It can't fly, but it swims very well.
A penguin cannot fly, but it swims very well.
▶ Play Zoo and sea animals
Jewel Quest English: Zoo and sea animals (A2), 10 levels
10 harder wild animal names (C2)
These names are rare in English lessons, but you see them in nature films, in books and on trips. Many of them live in North America, like the beaver, the coyote and the porcupine.
21. Mole
A small animal with dark fur and very small eyes. It lives under the ground and digs long tunnels.
A mole dug holes all over our garden.
22. Panda
A big black and white bear from China. Pandas eat bamboo, a tall green plant, all day.
The panda ate bamboo all morning.
23. Beaver
An animal with brown fur, big front teeth and a wide, flat tail. It cuts small trees with its teeth and builds a wall of wood across a river, called a dam.
A beaver built a dam across the river.
24. Otter
An animal with brown fur that lives in rivers or in the sea. It swims very well and loves to play.
The otter floats on its back in the water.
25. Coyote
A wild animal that looks like a thin dog. Coyotes live in North America, and at night they make a long, loud cry (they howl).
We heard a coyote howl at night.
26. Toad
An animal like a frog, but with dry, bumpy skin and short legs. It walks more than it jumps.
A big toad sat by the pond.
27. Weasel
A small, thin wild animal with a long body, short legs and brown fur. It moves very fast.
A weasel ran under the fence.
28. Walrus
A very big, heavy sea animal with two long white teeth called tusks. It lives in the cold seas of the far north.
The walrus has two long white tusks.
29. Stingray
A flat fish with wide fins like wings and a long, thin tail. It swims over the sand at the bottom of the sea.
A stingray swam slowly over the sand.
Be careful: its tail can hurt you, so don't step on one.
30. Porcupine
An animal with long, sharp spikes on its back. The spikes keep it safe from other animals.
A porcupine has long, sharp spikes on its back.
▶ Play Wild animals
Jewel Quest English: Wild animals (C2), 10 levels
Play the animal games
Jewel Quest English is a free match-3 game. Match 3 pictures in a row, and you see the picture and hear the English word. After each level, a short quiz checks the new words. Each topic has 10 levels, and each level teaches one or two new animals. It works on a phone or a computer, with no sign-up.
| Topic | Level | New animals |
|---|---|---|
| Animals | A1 | dog, fish, cat, horse, bird, cow, pig, lion, elephant, snake, chicken, sheep, mouse |
| Zoo and sea animals | A2 | bear, tiger, spider, shark, whale, frog, penguin |
| Wild animals | C2 | mole, panda, beaver, otter, coyote, toad, weasel, walrus, stingray, porcupine |
Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses
Quick quiz: what animal is it?
What is the name of each animal? Say it or write it, then open the answers.
What animal is it?
Word bank: beaver, cow, elephant, horse, otter, penguin, porcupine, sheep, spider, tiger, toad, whale
www.really-learn-english.com/animal-names.html
Show the answers
1. cow 2. penguin 3. otter 4. tiger 5. sheep 6. porcupine 7. whale 8. horse 9. beaver 10. spider 11. elephant 12. toad
For teachers: a printable list of animal names and class ideas
Print the list below on one page. Each animal has a picture, its name and a short meaning, plus a line where students write the word in their own language. You can also print the quiz above as a worksheet.
Animal names in English
Write each animal name in your language on the line.
- dog: a pet that barks
- fish: it lives and swims in water
- cat: a small pet that says meow
- horse: a big animal that people ride
- bird: it has feathers and can fly
- cow: a farm animal that gives milk
- pig: a pink farm animal
- lion: a big wild cat from Africa
- elephant: a big gray animal with a long nose
- snake: a long animal with no legs
- chicken: a farm bird that lays eggs
- sheep: a farm animal with soft wool
- mouse: a very small animal with a long tail
- bear: a big wild animal with thick fur
- tiger: a big orange cat with black stripes
- spider: a small animal with eight legs
- shark: a big fish with sharp teeth
- whale: the biggest animal in the sea
- frog: a green animal that jumps
- penguin: a black and white bird that swims
- mole: it lives under the ground
- panda: a black and white bear from China
- beaver: it builds walls of wood in rivers
- otter: it swims in rivers and the sea
- coyote: a wild dog of North America
- toad: like a frog, with dry, bumpy skin
- weasel: a small, thin, fast wild animal
- walrus: a big sea animal with two long teeth
- stingray: a flat fish with a long tail
- porcupine: it has sharp spikes on its back
www.really-learn-english.com/animal-names.html
Two ideas for your class
- Guess my animal (10 minutes). One student thinks of an animal from the list. The class asks yes or no questions: Does it live in the sea? Can it fly? Is it bigger than a dog? Does it eat meat? The student who guesses the animal thinks of the next one.
- Where does it live? Write four places on the board: on a farm, at home, in the sea, in the forest. Show a picture from the list, and the students say the name and where it lives: A cow lives on a farm. A shark lives in the sea. Some animals fit two places, so ask them to explain: A fish can live in the sea or at home.
The game also works on a projector: put level 1 on the screen, and the class says each animal before the game does. Share the level link in Google Classroom or any LMS. Nobody needs to sign up.
More picture word lists: kitchen utensils names, food and cooking words, furniture words with pictures and all our English vocabulary word lists.
Questions about animal names in English
What are some animal names in English?
Easy animal names in English are dog, cat, fish, bird, horse, cow, pig, sheep, chicken, mouse, lion, elephant and snake. Next come bear, tiger, spider, shark, whale, frog and penguin. Harder names are mole, panda, beaver, otter, coyote, toad, weasel, walrus, stingray and porcupine. This page has all 30, with pictures and sound.
What is the plural of fish?
The plural of fish is usually fish: "I caught one fish," "I caught three fish." You can say fishes for different kinds of fish, but learners almost never need it.
What is the plural of mouse?
The plural of mouse is mice: "one mouse, two mice." Two more animals with a special plural are sheep (one sheep, ten sheep) and fish (one fish, two fish).
What is the difference between a frog and a toad?
A frog has smooth, wet skin, often bright green, and long back legs, so it jumps very well. It lives in or near water. A toad has dry, bumpy skin, usually brown, and short legs, so it walks more than it jumps. A toad can live far from water.
Is a whale a fish?
No. A whale lives in the sea, but it is not a fish. It breathes air, so it comes up to the top of the water to breathe, and its babies drink milk from their mother. Animals like this are mammals, like cows, dogs and people. A shark is a fish.
What level are these animal words?
The levels follow the CEFR levels in the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Level A1: dog, fish, cat, horse, bird, cow, pig, lion, elephant, snake, chicken, sheep, mouse. Level A2: bear, tiger, spider, shark, whale, frog, penguin. Level C2: mole, panda, beaver, otter, coyote, toad, weasel, walrus, stingray, porcupine. Beginners know the A1 animals. The C2 ones are rare, but they are easy to learn with pictures.
How can I practice animal names in English?
Play the free animal topics in Jewel Quest English. You match pictures, hear each word and answer a short quiz after each level. There are 3 topics with animals, and each has 10 levels. It works on a phone or a computer, with no sign-up.
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