Babies are always cute, but baby animals might be even cuter in comparison. Seeing an infant member of almost any species appears to be able to soften even the most hardhearted of us. Proof of this can be seen in everyday life; We love to take photos of our little pets at home, we enjoy sharing memes about young creatures and we always take the chance to watch funny animal videos on YouTube.
However, not everyone knows the correct names to use when referring to these animals. While they might be familiar with the animal itself, they often don’t know the word that is used to indicate that the animal is a baby as opposed to a fully grown adult.
There are many easy examples such as kittens and puppies, but what terms do we use when talking about a baby eagle, rhinoceros, skunk or spider?
Find out here by checking the list below:
antelope | calf |
badger | cub |
bear | cub |
beaver | kit |
bobcat | kitten |
buffalo | calf |
camel | calf |
caribou | fawn |
cat | kitten |
cattle | calf |
chicken | chick |
cougar | kitten |
coyote | puppy |
deer | fawn |
dog | puppy / pup / whelp |
duck | duckling |
eagle | eaglet |
eel | elver |
elephant | calf |
elk | calf |
ferret | kit |
fish | fry |
fox | cub / kit |
frog | tadpole |
giraffe | calf |
goat | kid |
goose | gosling |
hare | leveret |
hartebeest | calf |
hawk | chick / eyas |
horse | foal / colt / filly |
kangaroo | joey |
leopard | cub |
lion | cub |
mink | kit |
owl | owlet |
peafowl | peachick |
pheasant | chick |
pig | piglet/ porkling / gilt |
pigeon | squab / squeaker |
pike | pickerel |
possum | joey |
rabbit | kitten |
rat | pup |
rhinoceros | calf |
roedeer | kid |
salmon | parr / smolt |
seal | calf / pup |
sheep | lamb |
skunk | kitten |
spider | spiderling |
swan | cygnet |
tiger | cub |
toad | tadpole |
wallaby | joey |
walrus | cub |
weasel | kit |
whale | calf |
wolf | cub / pup / whelp |
zebra | foal |
We hope you enjoyed this list. Let us in the comment section if you have any favourites, or if you know of any baby animal names that have been left out.
Sources
- OxfordWords blog, ‘What do you call a baby owl and other baby animals?’. Available here [accessed on 19/02/18].
Written by
Liam Kennedy – Schuman Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament. Graduate of Journalism with a Language (French) at Dublin Institute of Technology. Completed a Masters in Translation Studies at University College Cork.