Vocabulary related to animals in a zoo in French

The world consists of many animals. In our previous article on animals in French, we’ve already learnt some basic animals. In this article, you will be learning names of animals living in a zoo. Use them to learn new words in French and improve your knowledge. 

1. un ours

Meaning: a large, strong wild mammal with a thick fur coat that lives especially in colder parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

English: a bear

Example: Les enfants étaient heureux de voir le bébé ours au zoo. (The kids were happy to see the baby bear at the zoo.)

2. un bison

Meaning: a large wild animal, similar to a cow but having a larger head and shoulders covered in hair, found in North America and Europe.

English: a bison

Example: Les bisons sont souvent tués pour leur viande. (Bison are often killed for their meat.)

3. un buffle

Meaning: a large animal of the cattle family, with long, curved horns

English: buffalo

Example:Nous avons vu des troupeaux de buffles migrer à travers les plaines.

(We saw herds of buffalo migrate across the plains.)

4. un chameau

Meaning: a large animal with a long neck, that lives in the desert and has one or two humps

English: camel

Example: Avez-vous déjà fait une balade à dos de chameau? (Have you ever had a camel back ride?)

5. un guépard

Meaning :a wild animal of the cat family, with yellowish-brown fur and black spots, that can run faster than any other animal.

English: a cheetah

Example: Aimeriez-vous voir un guépard courir ? (Would you like to see a cheetah run?)

6. un chimpanzé

Meaning :a small, very intelligent African ape with black or brown fur

English: a chimpanzee

Example:Le chimpanzé est une espèce en voie de disparition. (The chimpanzee is an endangered species.)

7. une mangouste

Meaning: a small animal with fur that lives in hot countries and kills snakes, rats, etc..

English: a mongoose

Example: Une mangouste n’arrêtait pas d’entrer dans la poubelle derrière notre maison. ( A mongoose kept on getting in the garbage can behind our house.)

8.un renard

Meaning: a wild mammal belonging to the dog family that has a pointed face and ears, a wide tail covered in fur, and often reddish-brown fur

English: a fox

Example: Le chasseur chevauchait vite, pourchassant le renard. (The huntsmen rode fast, chasing after the fox.)

9. un hippopotame

Meaning : a very large animal with short legs and thick, dark grey skin that lives near water in Africa

English: a hippopotamus

Example: Les enfants ont aimé regarder l’hippopotame se vautrer dans la boue. (The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.)

10. un chacal

Meaning: a wild animal like a dog that lives in Africa and southern Asia and eats animals that have died or been killed by others

English: a jackal

Example:Tout le monde a été choqué d’apprendre sa décision de garder un chacal comme animal de compagnie. (Everyone was shocked to learn about his decision to keep a jackal as a pet.)

11. un jaguar

Meaning :a large wild animal of the cat family that lives in Central and South America

English: a jaguar

Example: Si jamais vous rencontrez un jaguar dans une jungle, vous devez simplement vous éloigner tranquillement. (If you ever come across a jaguar in a jungle, you should just quietly walk away.)

12. un lézard

Meaning: a small reptile that has a long body, four short legs, a long tail, and thick skin

English: a lizard

Example: Il a peur de voir des lézards à l’intérieur de la maison. (He is scared of seeing lizards inside the house.)  

13. un panda

Meaning: a large, black and white mammal that lives in forests in China.

English: a panda

Example: Son souhait est de voir un panda une fois dans sa vie. (Her wish is to see a panda once in her lifetime.) 

14. un renne

Meaning: a type of deer with large horns that lives in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America

English: a reindeer

Example: Les troupeaux de rennes meurent lentement. ( The reindeer herds are slowly dying off.)

15. un rhinocéros

Meaning: a very large, thick-skinned animal from Africa or Asia that has one or two horns on its nose

English: a rhinoceros

Example: Le rhinocéros est l’une des espèces survivantes les plus anciennes au monde. (The rhinoceros is one of the world’s oldest surviving species.)

I hope you enjoyed learning different names of animals in French. The next time you visit a zoo in France, try and recollect these words. For more such vocabulary, keep reading our blog. You can easily learn French online with us. Stay tuned for more interesting blogs.