¡Hola! ¡Bienvenido! In this lesson, we will learn the most important vocabulary for zoo animals in Spanish through beautiful illustrations, a short video, and many sample sentences related to specific activities the animals do. You will be able to practice with interactive exercises and a listening activity about a visit to the zoo in Spanish. Let’s get started!
Vocabulary introduction: A list of zoo animals in Spanish
First, we ask that you take a minute to try to recognize and learn the names of the different animal groups that we can find at the zoo, as well as the names of the most common zoo animals in Spanish in each group. Keep in mind that every zoo has different conditions and animals, so you may find many more than these, but you will probably see them in other examples and resources later in this lesson.
The following video presents a list of common zoo animals in Spanish and basic sentences using this vocabulary. Pay attention to the pronunciation of these words and how they are used to describe the actions of these animals.
Interactive exercise No. 1
Look at the cards, identify the names of the animals in Spanish, and then turn the cards over to check your answers.
Interactive exercise No. 2
Find the names of 14 zoo animals in Spanish in the following interactive word search activity.
Common words and phrases to talk about zoo animals in Spanish
Before moving on to the main listening activity, we will first learn a few common words and phrases that people often talk about zoo animals in Spanish and pets as well. Listen to the pronunciation of the different animals in the list and the related vocabulary. Some of these examples will be the basis for the main listening activity in this lesson.
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Los leones son animales muy feroces.
Lions are very ferocious animals.
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Hay pocos osos en el polo norte.
There are few bears in the north pole.
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El águila está volando sobre el valle. Ya capturó a su presa.
The eagle is flying over the valley. It has already captured his prey.
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Los pingüinos son aves muy interesantes. Pueden nadar a gran velocidad.
Penguins are very interesting birds. They can swim at a great speed.
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Los elefantes son muy gentiles. Tienen las orejas muy grandes.
Elephants are very gentle. They have very large ears.
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Los pavos reales machos usan sus plumas vistosas para atraer a las hembras.
Male peacocks use their showy feathers to attract females.
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El tigre está persiguiendo al jabalí.
The tiger is chasing the boar.
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Los monos están saltando de rama en rama.
The monkeys are jumping from branch to branch.
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Los hipopótamos son muy peligrosos.
Hippos are very dangerous.
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El perezoso duerme casi todo el día.
The sloth sleeps most of the day.
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Los delfines son muy inteligentes.
Dolphins are very intelligent.
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La ballena azul es el animal más grande del planeta.
The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet.
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Hay muchas serpientes venenosas en Australia.
There are many venomous snakes in Australia.
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Los ataques de tiburones son muy raros.
Shark attacks are very rare.
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Interactive exercise No. 3
Read these sentences about zoo animals in Spanish and drag the missing words to the correct spaces.
Listening Activity: A visit to the zoo in Spanish – Una visita al zoológico
Key phrases in the conversation:
- “Por fin pudimos” means … “Finally we could…”
- ¿Sabías que…? means…. “Did you know that?”
Related Spanish Worksheets:
- Recognizing Wild Animals in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
- Animal Facts in Spanish – Board Game Worksheet
- People and their Pets in Spanish (Reading)