Animal families: Roles of males, females, and children within their families
Animals enrich our lives with happiness, company, and amazement, making them an essential element of our planet. They are diverse in size, shape, and species, and each has its own special traits and ways of behaving. This blog article will discuss the many labels used to characterise animals according to their age and gender, as well as the names given to their relatives.
Animal Gender: Male and female animals in the family
Animals may be categorised as male or female, much like people. These gender differences are crucial for understanding each sex’s behaviour and traits, in addition to being necessary for reproduction.
Males are called “males” or “stallions” in the context of horses, “bulls” in the context of cattle, “roosters” in the context of chickens, and “rams” in the context of sheep. In contrast, female animals are referred to as “hens” for chickens, “ewes” for sheep, “cows” for bovines, and “females” or “mares” for horses.
It’s important to remember that certain animals, including male deer and female deer, have names peculiar to their genders. For example, male dogs are called “sires” and female dogs are called “dams.”
Children of animals: Young animals in the family
An animal’s young are often referred to as “offspring,” “young,” or “juveniles.” On the other hand, many species have unique names for their young, which might differ from species to species.
For instance, young dogs are referred to as “puppies,” whereas young cats are called “kittens.” For example, young horses are called “foals,” while young cows are called “calves.” In a similar vein, young sheep are referred to as “lambs” and young chickens as “chicks.”
Roles, responsibilities and characteristics of female animals within their families
Animal Familial Relationships: Understanding and respecting animal families in the natural world
Similar to us, animals also create families and give their members unique names. Although the functions of these family ties might differ throughout species, they often have the functions of educating, guarding, and caring for the young.
The parent-child tie is among the most prevalent types of family interactions. Most animals refer to females as “mothers” or “dams” and males as “fathers” or “sires.” In dog lingo, a female dog is termed a “mother” or “dam,” whereas a male dog is called a “father” or “sire.”
Below is a list of some animals with their male, female, and child names:
ANIMAL | MALE | FEMALE | CHILDREN |
Ass |
Jack | Jenny | Foal |
Alligator |
Bull | Cow | Hatchling |
Alpaca |
Male | Female | Cria |
Ant |
Drone | Gyne Queen Worker |
Lava Pupa |
Antelope |
Buck | Doe | Calf |
Ape |
Male | Female | Baby |
Armadillo |
Male | Female | Pup |
Baboon |
Male | Female | Infant |
Badger |
Boar | Sow | Cub Kit |
Bat |
Male | Female | Pup |
Bear |
Boar | Sow | Cub |
Beaver |
Male | Female | Kitten Pup |
Bee |
Drone | Worker Queen |
Larva |
Beetle |
Male | Female | Larva |
Bird |
Cock | Hen | Chick Hatchling |
Bison |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Boar |
Boar | Sow | Piglet |
Butterfly |
Male | Female | Caterpillar Chrysalis Larva Pupa |
Buzzard |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Camel |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Caribou |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Cat |
Tom | Queen | Kitten |
Cattle |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Chamois |
Bull | Doe | Calf |
Cheetah |
Male | Female | Cub |
Chicken |
Rooster | Hen | Chick Pullet (hen) Cockerel (rooster) |
Clam |
– | – | Larva |
Cockroach |
– | – | Nymph |
Codfish |
– | – | Codling |
Coyote |
Dog | Bitch | Pup Whelp |
Crow |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Deer |
Buck Stag |
Doe | Fawn |
Dog |
Dog | Bitch | Pup |
Dolphin |
Bull | Cow | Calf Pup |
Donkey |
Jack Jackass |
Jennet Jenny |
Colt Foal |
Duck |
Drake | Hen | Duckling |
Eagle |
Tiercel | Hen | Eaglet |
Eel |
Male | Female | Elver |
Elephant |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Elk |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Emu |
Male | Female | Chick |
Falcon |
Tiercel | Falcon | Chick |
Ferret |
Hob | Jill | Kit |
Fish |
– | – | Fry Fingerling |
Finch |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Flamingo |
Male | Female | Chick |
Fly |
– | – | Maggot |
Fox |
Dog Reynard |
Vixen | Cub Kit Pup |
Frog |
Male | Female | Tadpole Polliwog Froglet |
Gerbil |
Buck | Doe | Pup |
Giraffe |
Bull | Doe | Calf |
Gnat |
Male | Female | Larva |
Gnu |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Goat |
Billy Buck |
Nanny | Kid |
Goose |
Goose | Gander | Gosling |
Gorilla |
Male | Female | Infant |
Grasshopper |
Male | Female | Nymph |
Guinea Pig |
Boar | Sow | Pup |
Gull |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Hamster |
Buck | Doe | Pup |
Hare |
Buck | Doe | Leveret |
Hawk |
Tiercel | Hen | Eyas |
Hedgehog |
Boar | Sow | Piglet Pup |
Heron |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Hippopotamus |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Hornet |
Male | Female | Larva |
Hog |
Boar | Sow | Farrow Shoat |
Horse |
Stallion Stud |
Dam Mare |
Colt (Male) Filly (Female) Foal |
Hummingbird |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Hyena |
Male | Female | Cub |
Kangaroo |
Buck | Doe | Joey |
Leopard |
Leopard | Leopardess | Cub |
Lion |
Lion | Lioness | Cub |
Llama |
Macho | Hembra | Cria |
Mallard |
Drake | Hen | Duckling |
Manatee |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Mink |
Boar | Sow | Cub Kit |
Mole |
Male | Female | Pup |
Monkey |
Male | Female | Infant |
Moose |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Mouse |
Buck | Doe | Kitten Pinky Pup |
Mule |
Jack | Jenny | Foal |
Ostrich |
Cock | Hen | Chick |
Otter |
Male | Female | Pup Whelp |
Owl |
Owl | Hen | Owlet |
Ox |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Panda |
Boar | Soar | Cub |
Penguin |
Male | Female | Chick |
Pig |
Boar | Sow | Piglet |
Polecat |
Hob | Jill | Kit |
Porpoise |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Rabbit |
Buck | Doe | Bunny Kit |
Raccoon |
Boar | Sow | Cub |
Rat |
Buck | Doe | Kitten Pinky Pup |
Reindeer |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Rhinoceros |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Sea Lion |
Bull | Cow | Pup |
Seal |
Bull | Cow | Pup |
Serval |
Male | Female | Kitten |
Shark |
Bull | Female | Pup |
Sheep |
Buck Ram |
Ewe | Lamb |
Skunk |
Boar | Sow | Kit |
Snake |
Male | Female | Hatchling Neonate Snakelet |
Spider |
Male | Female | Spiderling |
Squirrel |
Buck | Doe | Kit Kitten Pup |
Swan |
Cob | Pen | Cygnet |
Termite |
Male | Female | Larva |
Tiger |
Tiger | Tigeress | Cub |
Toad |
Male | Female | Tadpole |
Turkey |
Tom | Hen | Poult |
Turtle |
Male | Female | Hatchling |
Wallaby |
Jack | Jill | Joey |
Walrus |
Bull | Cow | Cub Pup |
Wasp |
Drone | Queen Worker |
Larva |
Weasel |
Jack | Jill | Kit |
Whale |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Wolf |
Dog | Bitch | Pup |
Wombat |
Jack | Jill | Joey |
Woodpecker |
Male | Female | Chick |
Yak |
Bull | Cow | Calf |
Zebra |
Stallion | Mare | Foal |