Share the knowledge
If you’ve decided to take learning French seriously (and you’re here, so you probably have), this list will come in handy time and time again. It features the French name of a host of animal names : birds, fish, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, sea animals, desert animals, arctic animals… the list goes on. Literally.
You’ll find that a good number of animal names are spelled identically or almost the same way in English and in French , which is quite convenient. In other cases, learning the French equivalent will take a bit more time, but no worries! You don’t have to (and, well, physically can’t) learn all of these nouns in a single session, so have fun looking up and learning the French equivalents of your favorite animals.
A
alligator l’alligator (m) alpaca l’alpaga (m) anaconda l’anaconda ant la fourmi anteater le tamanoir antelope l’antilope (f) armadillo le tatou
B
baboon le babouin badger le blaireau bear l’ours (m) beaver le castor bees l’abeille (f) beluga le béluga bird of paradise l’oiseau (m) de paradis bison le bison blackbird le merle boa le boa boar le sanglier brown bear l’ours brun buffalo le buffle bumblebee le bourdon butterfly le papillon
C
camel le chameau capybara le capybara caracal le caracal chicken/ rooster la poule / le coq chimpanzee le chimpanzé clothes moth la mite clownfish le poisson clown cockroach la blatte condor le condor cow la vache crab le crabe crawfish/ crayfish l’écrevisse (f) crocodile le crocodile cuckoo le coucou
D
deer le chevreuil dingo le dingo dolphin le dauphin donkey l’âne (m) dove la colombe dragonfly la libellule dromedary le dromadaire
E
eagle l’aigle (m) eel/ electric eel l’anguille (f) / l’anguille (f) électrique elephant / African elephant l’éléphant (m) / l’éléphant d’Afrique elephant seal l’éléphant (m) de mer elk l’élan (m) emu l’émeu (m)
F
falcon le faucon firefly le ver luisant flamingo le flamant flea la puce fly la mouche fox le renard frog la grenouille
G
gazelle la gazelle gazelle la gazelle giraffe la girafe gnu/ wildebeest le gnou goat la chèvre goose l’oie (f) groundhog/ woodchuck, marmot la marmotte grouse le tétras
H
J
jaguar le jaguar jellyfish la méduse
K
kangaroo le kangourou kiwi le kiwi koala le koala krill le krill
L
ladybug/ ladybird la coccinelle lark l’alouette (f) lion le lion llama le lama lynx le lynx
M
N
narwhal le narval newt le triton nutria le ragondin
O
okapi l’okapi (m) orangutan l’orang-outan (m) orca l’orque (f) ostrich l’autruche (f) otter la loutre owl la chouette/ le hibou (aspirated h!)oyster l’huître (f)
P
panda le panda panther la panthère parrot le perroquet peacock le paon penguin le manchot pig le cochon polar bear l’ours (m) blanc pony le poney prairie dog le chien de prairie puma/ cougar le puma
R
rabbit le lapin raccoon le raton laveur rat le rat rattlesnake le crotale raven le corbeau ray la raie reindeer le renne rhinoceros le rhinocéros rhinoceros beetle le scarabée rhinocéros
S
salamander la salamandre scorpion le scorpion seal le phoque seagull la mouette/ le goéland (bigger) shark le requin snail l’escargot (m) snow leopard la panthère des neiges sparrow le moineau spider l’araignée (f) squirrel l’écureuil (m) stag beetle le lucane (or: le cerf-volant for the male and la grande biche for the female) starfish l’étoile (f) de mer swan le cygne
T
tapir le tapir tarantula la mygale termite le termite tiger le tigre toad le crapaud toucan le toucan trout la truite tuna le thon turkey la dinde/ le dindon turtle la tortue
V
viper la vipère vulture le vautour
W
walrus le morse wasp la guêpe wolf le loup wombat le wombat woodpecker le pic-vert worm le ver de terre
Y
Z
That’s it! And if you’d like to read about specific animals for fun (and to boost your French skills), check out the contents of this article.
Share the knowledge
