Animals

beaver

A large semiaquatic broad-tailed rodent native to North America and northern Eurasia. It is noted for its habit of gnawing through trees to fell them in order to make dams.

seal

A fish-eating aquatic mammal with a streamlined body and feet developed as flippers, that returns to land to breed or rest.

ostrich

A flightless swift-running African bird with a long neck, long legs, and two toes on each foot. It is the largest living bird, with males reaching a height of up to 2.75 m.

racoon (raccoon)

A greyish-brown American mammal which has a foxlike face with a black mask, a ringed tail, and the habit of washing its food in water.

duck

a bird that lives by water and has short legs with webbed feet (= feet with toes joined by skin), or the meat of this bird. Male called "drake," female called "duck."

owl

a bird with a flat face, large round eyes, a hook-shaped beak, and strong, curved nails, that hunts small mammals at night.

flamingo

a bird with pink feathers, a long neck, and long, thin legs, and which lives near the water in warm places

penguin

a black-and-white sea bird found in cold, southern parts of the world which cannot fly and swims using its small wings

bird

a creature with feathers and wings, usually able to fly

sheep

a farm animal with thick curly hair that eats grass and is kept for its wool, skin, and meat.

pig

a farm or wild animal with pink, brown, or black skin, short legs, and a snout (= flat nose)

bee

a flying insect that has a yellow and black body and is able to sting

wasp

a flying insect that is able to sting repeatedly. a social winged insect that has a narrow waist and a sting. It constructs a paper nest from wood pulp and raises the larvae on a diet of insects.

donkey

a gray or brown animal like a small horse with long ears

goat

a horned animal related to the sheep, which is kept to provide milk, meat, or wool.

giraffe

a large African animal with a very long neck and long legs

camel

a large animal of desert areas that has a long neck and a back with either one or two humps (= large raised parts)

horse

a large animal with four legs that people ride on and which, esp. in the past, was used for pulling vehicles and carrying loads:

deer

a large animal, the males of which have wide horns that stick out like branches, that lives in forests and eats grass and leaves

vulture

a large bird that eats the flesh of dead animals

goose

a large bird that lives by water

sea gull

a large bird that usually lives near an ocean or other large body of water

peacock

a large bird with long, bright, showy, blue and green tail feathers that it can spread out

panda

a large black-and-white mammal, similar to a bear, that lives in forests in China and eats bamboo (= stems of a type of grass)

swordfish

a large fish, often eaten as food, having a long, pointed part at the front of its head

crow

a large, black bird with a loud cry

hippopotamus

a large, dark gray animal of Africa that lives in or near rivers and that has a big head, short legs, and thick skin, with massive jaws and large tusks

pelican

a large, fish-eating bird with a long beak and a throat that is like a bag

crocodile

a large, hard-skinned reptile (type of animal) with a longer and narrower nose than that of an alligator which lives in and near rivers and lakes in hot, wet places

lion

a large, strong animal of the cat family from Africa and Asia which has yellow-brown fur, the male having a large mane (= long neck fur)

eagle

a large, strong bird with a curved beak that eats meat and has good sight

bear

a large, strong mammal with thick fur that lives esp. in colder parts of the world:

pigeon

a large, usually gray-and-white bird that lives esp. in cities:

leopard

a large, wild cat that has yellow fur with black spots and that lives in Africa and south Asia

tiger

a large, wild cat that has yellow-orange fur with thick lines of black fur

lizard

a reptile (= a type of animal that produces eggs) that has a long body, four short legs, and a long tail.

jellyfish

a sea animal with a soft, round, almost transparent body with tentacles that can sting

starfish

a sea animal with five pointed parts growing out from around a circular body

octopus

a sea creature with a soft oval body and eight tentacles (= arms)

dolphin

a sea mammal that looks like a large fish with a pointed mouth.

centipede

a small animal like a worm with a long, thin body and many legs

frog

a small animal that has smooth skin, lives in water and on land, has long powerful back legs with which it jumps from place to place, and has no tail.

worm

a small animal with a long, narrow, soft body without legs or bones

caterpillar

a small animal with a narrow body and many legs, and which feeds on the leaves of plants and later develops into a butterfly or moth (= flying insect)

rabbit

a small animal with long ears and a short tail, that lives in holes in the ground

scorpion

a small creature that lives in hot, dry areas of the world and has a long body and a curved tail with a poisonous sting

spider

a small creature that looks like an insect with eight thin legs

seahorse

a small fish that swims in a vertical position and has a head like that of a horse

mosquito

a small flying insect that bites people and animals, and sucks their blood

fly

a small flying insect with two wings.

squirrel

a small furry animal with a long tail which climbs trees and feeds on nuts and seeds.

ant

a small insect that lives in large and highly organized social groups

firefly

a small insect that produces flashes of light when it flies at night

shrimp

a small sea creature with a shell, ten legs, and a long tail, or its flesh eaten as food.

hedgehog

a small, brown mammal with a covering of sharp spines on its back

mole

a small, dark, furry mammal that lives in passages it digs under the ground

bat

a small, flying animal with big ears and wings of skin

cat

a small, furry animal with four legs and a tail, often kept as a pet, or any of a group of related animals that are wild, and some of which are large and fierce, such as the lion.

skunk

a small, furry, black-and-white animal with a large tail, which makes a strong, unpleasant smell as a defense when it is attacked

ladybird

a small, red beetle that is round and has black spots

parrot

a tropical bird with a curved beak and usually colorful feathers, some of which can be taught to repeat words

chicken

a type of bird kept on a farm for its eggs or its meat, or the meat of this bird which is cooked and eaten.

butterfly

a type of flying insect with four large, often brightly colored wings

shark

a type of large fish that has rows of sharp teeth

kangaroo

a type of large, Australian mammal with a long, thick tail, short front legs, and long powerful back legs, that moves by jumping.

mouse

a type of small rodent (= small mammal with sharp teeth) that has short, usually brown, gray, or white hair, a pointed face, and a long tail.

whale

a very large sea mammal with a streamlined hairless body, a horizontal tail fin, and a blowhole on top of the head for breathing

elephant

a very large, gray animal that has a trunk (= long nose) with which it can pick things up

rhinoceros

a very large, thick-skinned animal that eats plants and has one or two horns on its nose.

stork

a very tall long-legged wading bird with a long heavy bill (or beak) and typically with white and black plumage.

otter

a water mammal with four legs and dark brown fur, which eats fish and is related to the weasel

hyena

a wild animal of Africa and Asia that looks like a dog and makes a laughing sound

wolf

a wild animal of the dog family

coyote

a wild animal related to dogs that lives in parts of North America, esp. in the west

fox

a wild mammal belonging to the dog family which has a pointed face and ears, a wide furry tail, and often red-brown fur, or the fur of this animal.

zebra

an African wild animal that looks like a horse but has black and white or brown and white lines on its body

koala

an Australian mammal with greyish fur. They live in eucalyptus trees and eat their leaves.

rooster

an adult male chicken

turtle

an animal that lives in or near water, having a thick, outer shell that covers and protects its body

lobster

an animal that lives in the sea and has a shell-like covering on its body, two large claws, and eight legs, or the flesh of this animal when used as food.

snake

an animal with a long, cylindrical body and no legs

dog

an animal with four legs, commonly kept as a pet, and sometimes used to guard things.

fish

an animal without legs that lives in water, has a soft outer body, uses its tail and fins to help it swim, and takes in oxygen from the water.

squid

an edible sea creature that has a long body with eight arms and two tentacles (= arm-like parts) around the mouth

grasshopper

an insect that eats plants and has long back legs that make it able to jump high

monkey

any of a group of mammals that usually have flat faces and long tails, esp. any of the smaller mammals in this group

swan

any of various types of a large, usually white bird with a long neck that lives on rivers and lakes

cow

the adult female of cattle that is kept on a farm to produce milk or meat