We all know that a baby rabbit is a bunny, but do you know what a baby eagle is called? What about a baby fish? The following paragraphs will take a look at some of the names we have for our baby animals.

The babies of many of our animals have special names. A young rabbit, for example, is called a bunny. But did you know that a baby eagle is called an “eaglet” and a baby fish is known as a “fry”? Even though many of our young animals are referred to simply by babies, infants, and youngling, they all have a technical name.

Some of the technical names fit the animal, and others do not. For example, a baby duck is called a “duckling”. That makes a lot of sense if you think about it. But on the other hand, a baby cow is known as a “calf”. When I think of the word “calf”, I think of my legs, not a baby cow. A baby goat is known as a “kid”, and a baby deer is called a “fawn”. I would have never guessed!

On top of having technical names for animal babies, some of these animals babies share the same name. Often, before reaching the age of one, cattle, horse, and sheep are all referred to as “yearling”. And baby lions, bear, sharks, and foxes are all referred to as “cubs”. There are other animals who share names, as well.

More often than not, when we see a baby animal, we just call it a baby. Animal babies have technical names, some we could probably guess, and others really do not fit the animal.

By: Sheila King-Jeffcoat