65 French Animal Words
There are many French animal names to remember when you are learning to speak French, so to get you started off with the easiest information, I'll begin with what I like to call the "free words" of the French language.
These words are written exactly the same in both English and French, so, if you aleady know how to spell them in English, then you are well on your way to remembering them in French.
Note: Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of animal names from English to French.
Free Animal Words:
All you need to do is remember whether they are masculine (le, as most of them are) or feminine (la). Here is the list of some of the "free" French animal names.
L'alligator (m) ➔ Alligator
Le crocodile ➔ Crocodile
La gazelle ➔ Gazelle
Le hamster ➔ Hamster
Le jaguar ➔ Jaguar
Le koala ➔ Koala
Le lion ➔ Lion
Le panda ➔ Panda
Le pigeon ➔ Pigeon
Le rat ➔ Rat
Le toucan ➔ Toucan
Congratulations! You now know eleven French animal names!
Almost Free Animal Names (English to French):
Now then comes the "almost free" French animal names. These words are very similar between the French and the English translations, that so long as you can remember a small change or two and their proper gender, you should have no trouble remembering these additional French animals.
L'antilope (f) ➔ Antelope
L'armadille (f) ➔ Armadillo
Le canari ➔ Canary
Le chimpanzé ➔ Chimpanzee
Le crabe ➔ Crab
L'éléphant (m) ➔ Elephant
La girafe ➔ Giraffe
Le gorille ➔ Gorilla
L'hippopotame (m) ➔ Hippopotamus
L'iguane (m) ➔ Iguana
L'insecte (m) ➔ Insect
Le lama ➔ Llama
Le léopard ➔ Leopard
Le lézard ➔ Lizard
L'orang-outang (m) ➔ Orangutan
Le rhinocéros ➔ Rhinoceros
Le tigre ➔ Tiger
Le zèbra ➔ Zebra
There's another eighteen animal words that should be fairly simple for you to remember. Please see below for our full list of French animal names.
French Animal Words:
("Le" animals are masculine, "La" animals are feminine. Animals starting with "L'" have a (m) or (f) to denote gender.)
L'agneau (m) ➔ Lamb
L'alligator (m) ➔ Alligator
L'alpaga (m.) ➔ Alpaca
L'âne (m) ➔ Donkey
L'antilope (f) ➔ Antelope
L'armadille (f) ➔ Armadillo
Le canard ➔ Duck
Le canari ➔ Canary
Le cerf ➔ Deer
Le chameau ➔ Camel
Le chat ➔ Cat
Le chaton ➔ Kitten
Le cheval ➔ Horse
La chèvre ➔ Goat
Le chien ➔ Dog
Le chimpanzé ➔ Chimpanzee
Le chiot ➔ Puppy
Le cochon ➔ Pig
Le coq ➔ Rooster
Le crabe ➔ Crab
Le crocodile ➔ Crocodile
Le cygne ➔ Swan
Le dauphin ➔ Dolphin
Le dindon ➔ Turkey
L'éléphant (m) ➔ Elephant
La fourmi ➔ Ant
La gazelle ➔ Gazelle
La girafe ➔ Giraffe
Le gorille ➔ Gorilla
Le hamster ➔ Hamster
Le hibou ➔ Owl
L'hippocampe (m) ➔ Seahorse
L'hippopotame (m) ➔ Hippopotamus
L'iguane (m) ➔ Iguana
L'insecte (m) ➔ Insect
Le jaguar ➔ Jaguar
Le koala ➔ Koala
Le lama ➔ Llama
Le lapin ➔ Rabbit
Le léopard ➔ Leopard
Le lézard ➔ Lizard
Le lion ➔ Lion
Le loup ➔ Wolf
La méduse ➔ Jellyfish
Le mouton ➔ Sheep
Le morse ➔ Walrus
L'oie ➔ Goose
L'oiseau (m) ➔ Bird
L'orang-outang (m) ➔ Orangutan
L'ours (m) ➔ Bear
Le panda ➔ Panda
Le papillon ➔ Butterfly
La pieuvre ➔ Octopus
Le pigeon ➔ Pigeon
Le poisson ➔ Fish
Le poulet ➔ Chicken
Le rat ➔ Rat
Le requin ➔ Shark
Le rhinocéros ➔ Rhinoceros
Le serpent ➔ Snake
Le singe ➔ Ape
Le singe ➔ Monkey
La souris ➔ Mouse
Le tigre ➔ Tiger
La tortue ➔ Turtle
La tortue marine ➔ Sea Turtle
Le toucan ➔ Toucan
La vache ➔ Cow
Le zèbra ➔ Zebra
Sentences with Animal Names:
Aimeriez vous acheter de moi quelque cheveux voles? ➔ Would you like to buy some stolen horses from me?
J'aime faire du cheval. ➔ I like to go horseback riding.
J'etais un canard. Mais, les canards sont tres tres stupid, ainsi j'ai change ➔ I used to be a duck. But ducks are very very stupid, so I changed.
Mon petit-ami est le poisson dans l'ocean d'atlantique. ➔ My boyfriend is a fish in the atlantic ocean.
*List of animal words last updated: November 29, 2024.
English to French Comprehension:
Can you answer these questions about French animals?
1. Is giraffe in French masculine or feminine?
2. What is the word for jaguar (animal) in French?
3. Is zebra in French masculine or feminine?
4. Name two animals that start with M in French.
5. Name two animals that start with A in French.
6. What is the word for armadillo in French?
7. Is panda masculine or feminine in French?
8. Name two animals that start with I in French.
9. What is the French translation of hamster?
10. What is the French word for alligator?
French to English Comprehension:
What about these animal questions starting with the French first? Can you translate them back into English?
1. Is cheval masculine or feminine?
Next Up
Colors: Learn how to say color words in French.
Perhaps you want to learn animal words in these other languages?
French, German, Hawaiian, Japanese, Malay, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish.