Pets/Animals Vocabulary
Animal shelter – A place that takes care of rescued or orphaned animals
Breed – A type of animal that has been bred by humans and shares similar characteristics. For example, dog breeds – Sheepdog, Labrador, Yorkshire terrier etc
Cage – A structure of bars or wires to confine zoo animals or rodents
Canines – Formal word for dogs
Coat – The hair of a dog/cat
Companionable – Friendly and sociable
Curl up next to – Cuddle with/lay next to (informal).
Docile – Quiet and easy to influence, persuade, teach or control
Domesticated – Familiar with human contact/interaction
Feathers – The long hairs on a bird
Fur – Animal hair
Guide dog – A dog that helps a blind person to navigate their way around
Hooves – Animal feet, usually on farm animals like horses, sheep, and goats
House-trained — An animal that has been trained to go outside when it needs the toilet
Man’s best friend – An idiom used to describe dogs, as they are loyal companions (informal)
Puppy — A baby dog
Puppy-dog eyes – The sweet facial expression a person or dog uses when they want something from you (informal)
Reptiles – Cold-blooded animals with scales, for example, snakes
Rodent — a type of small animal that has long sharp front teeth, for example, a hamster
Species – Animals or plants that share characteristics and can reproduce
Stray — A homeless animal such as a dog or cat
To be put down – When an animal is put to death by injection because of illness or age
To curb loneliness – To reduce feelings of feeling alone
To provide companionship – To give friendship and affection to a person
To tame — To make an animal feel comfortable around people
Wildlife Vocabulary and Collocations
Animal kingdom – All living animals
Animal lover – A person who likes animals a lot
Animal rights – The rights of animals to be protected against exploitation or abuse
Amphibians– Animals that can live in the water and on land
Battery farming– Industrial practice that involves putting lots of animals, usually chickens, in an extremely small space
Breed in captivity — Impregnating a wild animal and bringing up the offspring in a controlled environment
Brink of extinction – Close to becoming extinct
Captivity – The condition of being imprisoned or confined, usually in a zoo
Carnivores – Meat-eating animals
Conservation – The protection of plants, habitats, or animals
Destruction of natural habitats – The process that occurs when natural habitat is changed dramatically by humans
Ecosystems – The relationship between living things in a particular environment
Endangered – At the risk of extinction.
Endangered species – Plants or animals that only exist in very small numbers and that may soon cease to exist
Exotic — Something that is interesting or exciting because it comes from a faraway place
Fangs — Large sharp teeth found on animals
Free-range animal — A farm animal that roams freely during its life
Guinea pig – a small rodent/ An idiom for anything that is experimented on
Herbivores – An animal that eats plants
Instinct – A natural reaction in animals to external stimuli
Mammals – Animals that give birth to live young
Marsupials – Characterised by the newborn being attached to the mother’s lower belly.
Mating season – The period of the year when animals reproduce
Pest — An unwanted/unwelcome insect or animal that attacks and damages things
Poaching – Illegal hunting
Predators – Animals that eat other animals
Prey – An animal that is hunted and killed by another for food.
Roam – When animals are free to walk where they please without the confines of fences etc…
Safari – an expedition to observe or hunt animals in their natural habitat, especially in East Africa.
Safari Park – A recreation of wild animals’ habitat where visitors are charged to see animals who roam relatively free compared to those in a zoo
Species – A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.
Tame – Not wild or dangerous, either naturally or because of training from humans
The violation of animal rights – Actions that violate animal rights such as cruelty or neglect
To keep something in captivity – To keep someone or something in a place and not allow them to leave
To mate – To reproduce
To treat animals humanely – To be kind to animals and to treat them well so they do not suffer
Venomous – Poisonous