100+ animal names in English that learners should know

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Let’s talk about the wild world of English words for animals.

English names for domestic animals

In North America and other English-speaking areas, there are a limited number of animals that are typically kept as pets—some are more appropriate for our homes than others! We’ve housed the most common ones in the list below.

Animal name

bird
cat
dog
ferret
fish
gerbil
guinea pig
hamster
lizard
mouse
rabbit
rat
snake
turtle

English names for common farm animals

On a farm, you can often find an array of species. We’ve corralled the most common ones below!

Animal name

alpaca
cow
chicken
donkey
goat
hen (female chicken)
horse
llama
mule
ox
pig
rooster (male chicken)
sheep

English names for common birds

We won’t let you go a-fowl with these words for birds! Here are some of the most common.

Bird name

blue jay
cardinal
chickadee
crow
dove
duck
eagle
falcon
flamingo
goose
hawk
hummingbird
ostrich
owl
parrot
pigeon
robin
seagull
sparrow
swan
turkey
vulture
woodpecker

English names for forest animals

We herded together the animals you might find in the forest. As you’ll see, there are regional differences for the names of the mountain lion due to its widespread habitat.

Animal name

bear
beaver
caribou
chipmunk
coyote
deer
elk
fox
frog
moose
mountain lion / cougar / puma / catamount / panther
opossum
porcupine
raccoon
salamander
skunk
squirrel
toad
weasel
wolf

English names for marine animals, fish, and reptiles

You might be surprised to find “coral” as an animal—but it’s true! One of the main reasons they’re classified as animals is because they don’t make their own food. Here are some other water-loving creatures!

Animal name

alligator
clam
coral
crab
dolphin
eel
fish
jellyfish
lobster
octopus
orca
oyster
penguin
platypus
polar bear
sea lion
sea ray / stingray
seal
shark
shrimp
squid
starfish
tortoise
walrus
whale

English names for safari animals

The following animals can be seen on safari or while in the remote grasslands and savannas of Africa, Asia, and the Australian bush.

Animal name

baboon
buffalo
cheetah
chimpanzee
crocodile
elephant
gazelle
giraffe
gorilla
hippopotamus
hyena
kangaroo
koala
lemur
leopard
lion
monkey
rhinoceros
tiger
warthog
wildebeest
zebra

English names for insects and arachnids

Bugs and other creepy-crawlies are also important to name, whether we like them or not!

Animal name

ant
bee
beetle
butterfly
centipede
dragonfly
fly
hornet
ladybug
mosquito
moth
scorpion
snail
spider
tick
wasp
worm
yellow jacket

Plural forms of English animal words

As you probably know, in English, you add an –s or –es to make a noun plural. There are some animal names, however, that don’t change when they’re plural. For example, you say fish if there is one or a whole school of them! If you say fishes, it typically means you are referring to different species of fish. Other animal words that do not change in the plural form include:

sheep/sheep
deer/deer
moose/moose
buffalo/buffalo
shrimp/shrimp

There are also a few animal names that have unusual plural forms. Here are a few of the most common:

• Wolf becomes
  wolves
  : This is a typical change for nouns ending in “f” (for example, knife becomes knives)
• Ox becomes
  oxen
  : This is a remnant of an Old English plural ending.
• Mouse becomes
  mice
  and goose becomes
  geese
  : These are irregular and don’t have an easy rule to follow! These forms reflect one of the ways that Old English made nouns plural: by changing the vowel instead of adding an ending.

Fun names for groups of animals in English

English has surprising and unpredictable names for groups of animals. For example blue jays usually travel in large, loud groups—and a group of them is called a party of blue jays!

You may not want to know the word for a group of crows, but here it is along with some other fun(ny) names for groups of animals.

Group name

army of ants
band of coyotes
barrel of monkeys
clowder of cats
coalition of cheetahs
convocation of eagles
herd of elephants
murder of crows
pack of dogs
parliament of owls
pod of dolphins
prickle of porcupines
pride of lions
school of fish
tower of giraffes

Names for baby animals in English

There are also special words for some of the younger (and cuter!) animals in the kingdom.

A world of new vocabulary!

In language learning, it’s not about hoo hoo hoo you know, but what you know! Now that you know animal names, brush up on more English vocabulary with restaurant words, the English calendar, and how to say “thank you” in English!