Animal Names: Male, Female, And Young - Infoplease

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The animal kingdom has different names for males, females, and juvenile members of many species. These names can vary significantly based on the animal and are often based on biology and tradition or have cultural significance. Understanding the terms for male, female, and baby animals is essential, whether you use a conversation starter about the best pet names, the terms for each baby farm animal, or what you'd call a wild beast.

Some animals may just have one general term covering all genders, while some may have separate terms for males, females, and offspring (age or gender)—things like cub, fox, cow, bull, lion, lioness. Understanding this helps us have a greater appreciation of animal diversity and the different functions an individual performs within their species.

This exploration of the names of animals allows us to understand the incredible diversity of life forms that share our planet and develop a greater bond with nature.

A female elephant is called a “cow,” a male elephant a “bull,” and their young a “calf.” Highly social animals, like tigers and lions, often have the same names for males and females (like “lion” and “lioness”), and the young are referred to as cubs.

Did you know that a male weasel is called a hob? Or that a female cat is called a queen? Of course, a baby bird can be a chick, and a baby deer is a fawn, but did you know that platypus young are called puggles?

Read on for everything you need to know about male and female animal names for a variety of feathery, furry, and scaly creatures!

Discover the Complete Guide To Male and Female Animal Names

Animal Male Female Young Aardvark Boar Sow Piglet Alligator Bull Cow Hatchling Alpaca Male Female Cria Antelope Buck Doe Calf Armadillo Male Female Pup Axolotl (Salamander) Male Female Larvae Baboon Male Female Infant Bear Boar Sow Cub Beaver Male Female Kit, Pup, or Kitten Bee Drone Worker, Queen Larva Buffalo or Bison Bull Cow Calf Butterfly Male Female Chrysalis or Larva Camel Bull Cow Calf Cat Tom Queen Kitten Cattle Bull Cow Calf Cheetah Male Female Cub Chicken Rooster Hen Chick, Pullet, or Cockrell Cicada Male Female Nymph Coyote Dog Bitch Pup or Whelp Deer Buck Doe Fawn Dog Dog Bitch Pup or Puppy Dolphin Bull Cow Calf Donkey Jack Jenny Foal or Filly Dove Cock Hen Squab or Chick Duck Drake Duck Duckling Eagle Tiercel Hen Eaglet Echidna Male Female Puggle Elephant Bull Cow Calf Ferret Hob Jill Kit Finch Cock Hen Chick, Pullet, or Cockrell Fish Male Female Fingerling or Fry Flamingo Male Female Chick Fox Renyard or Dog Vixen Cub Frog Male Female Tadpole, Polliwog, or Froglet Giant Panda Boar Soar Cub Giraffe Bull Doe Calf Goat Billy Doe Kid Goose Gander Goose Gosling Grasshopper Male Female Nymph Grouse Blackcock Hen Poult Guinea Pig Boar Sow Pup Hamster Buck Doe Pup Hare Buck Doe Leveret Hedgehog Boar Sow Piglet or Pup Hermit Crab Male Female Zoea Hippopotamus Bull Cow Calf Horse Stallion Mare Foal or Filly Human Man Woman Baby or Infant Hyena Male Female Cub Ibex Buck Doe Kid Jaguar Male Female Cub

Animal Male Female Young Jellyfish Boar Sow Ephyna Kākāpō (Parrot) Boomer Hen Chick Kangaroo Buck or Jack Doe or Jill Joey Koala Male Female Joey Lemur — Princess Pup Leopard Leopard Leopardess Cub Lion Lion Lioness Cub Llama Male Female Cria Louse Male Female Nymph Lynx Male Female Kit Marbled Cat Tom Queen Cub Mole Male Female Pup Mouse Buck Doe Pinkie or Pup Okapi Bull Cow Calf Opossum Jack Jill Joey Otter Male Female Whelp Owl Owl Hen Owlet Oyster — — Spat Peafowl Peacock Peahen Chick Penguin Male Female Chick or Nestling Platypus Male Female Platypup or Puggle Polar Bear Boar Sow Cub Quokka Male Female Joey Rabbit Buck Doe Bunny or Kit Raccoon Boar Sow Cub Rhinoceros Bull Cow Calf Sheep Ram Ewe Lamb Skunk Boar Sow Kit Sloth Male Female Baby, Pup, or Kitten Snake Male Female Snakelet Spider Male Female Spiderling Storks Male Female Squab or Pullet Swan Cob Pen Cygnet or Flapper Swine Boar Sow Piglet or Shoat Tiger Tiger Tigress Cub Toad Male Female Tadpole Turkey Gobbler or Tom Hen Poult Turtle Male Female Hatchling Vaquita Bull Cow Calf Walrus Bull Cow Cub or Pup Weasel Hob, Dog, Buck, or Jack Bitch, Doe, or Jill Kit Whale Bull Sow Calf Wolf Dog Bitch Pup Wolverine Boar Sow Kit Wombat Jack Jill Joey Zebra Stallion Mare Foal

Interesting Facts About Animal Names

Now that we’ve discovered the variety of animal names for males, females, and their young, let’s explore some additional fascinating facts about animal terminology.

• Unique Social Structures: The female frequently plays the most significant role in species like bees, termites, and ants. In some cases, she is the only one with the ability to reproduce, such as the "queen" in a bee colony. The drones and the males are simply there to mate with the queen.
• Color Cues: The male of some species, such as the peafowl (peacock), tends to look more colorful than the female. Females may select mates based on the most impressive display of these colorful males' plumage.
• Behavior and Mating Calls: The names of males, females, and young can also be linked to behavior in many animal species. Male frogs, for example, frequently call to attract females. Depending on the species, this behavior may be linked to both mating and territorial defense.

Why Do Animals Have Different Names for Males, Females, and Young?

To help with usage and identification for reproduction, study, and conservation, animals have specific names for males, females, and young, which can help delineate roles and biological characteristics.

Why Is a Baby Kangaroo Called a “Joey”?

The word “joey” is used as the name for the young of many marsupials, including kangaroos, because they are born in an immature condition and grow in their mother’s pouch.

Why Are Female Horses Called “Mares” and Males “Stallions”?

The word “mare” is derived from an Old English term for a female horse, and stallion, an uncastrated male, comes from stable in the Latin stabulum.

How Do the Male Lion and a Lioness Differ?

The male lion has a distinguishable mane, and the female lion is called a lioness, which does not have a mane. Lionesses do most of the hunting, so their roles in the pride are somewhat different.

What’s Good for the Goose Is Good for the Gander

Now that you are armed for the biology section of your next trivia night, check out our list of Animal Group Terminology to discover the collective nouns for animals on this list, such as a prickle of hedgehogs. Or take our quiz and see, Can You Name These Baby Animals?

And if you are looking for baby names for human infants, check out a list of Nature-Inspired Names!

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