❓ Baby Animal Names FAQ

A baby animal is called by many different names depending on the species. The most common baby animal names include cub (lions, tigers, bears), calf (cows, elephants, giraffes), puppy (dogs, wolves), kitten (cats), and foal (horses, zebras). Some baby animals have unique names like puggle (platypus), porcupette (porcupine), and hoglet (hedgehog). Browse our complete list of 100+ baby animal names.

Baby animals have different names because of centuries of English language evolution. Many names come from Old English, Old Norse, or French. For example, "calf" comes from Old English "cealf," "foal" from Old English "fola," and "puppy" from French "poupée." Some names describe the young animal's appearance or behavior, while others are diminutive forms of the adult name (like duckling from duck + -ling).

The most shared baby animal name is "Calf" — used for 15 different animals including giraffe, reindeer, manatee. Other widely shared names include "Pup" (12 animals) and "Cub" (9 animals).

The rarest and most surprising baby animal names include Puggle (Platypus), Calf (Narwhal), Fry (Seahorse), Hatchling (Octopus), Kit (Chinchilla). These names often have fascinating etymologies — for example, "puggle" was originally used for baby echidnas and was later adopted for baby platypuses too.

A baby cow is called a calf. The word "calf" comes from Old English "cealf" and is one of the oldest animal names in English, dating back to the 5th century. Calves can stand and walk within minutes of birth and drink about 5 liters of milk per day.

A baby horse is called a foal. Male foals are called colts and female foals are called fillies. The word "foal" comes from Old English "fola." Foals can stand within 1-2 hours of birth and are born with legs almost full-length.

A baby cat is called a kitten. The word comes from Middle English "kitoun" and Old French "chaton" (little cat). Kittens are born blind and deaf — their eyes open at 7-10 days old, and they're born with blue eyes that change color at 6-8 weeks.

A baby dog is called a puppy. The word comes from French "poupée" (doll/toy), reflecting how adorable baby dogs are. Puppies are born deaf, blind, and without teeth — they open their eyes at 10-14 days old.

A baby lion is called a cub. The word "cub" comes from Old English "cubb" meaning a young animal. Lion cubs are born blind and helpless, live in groups called crèches within the pride, and learn to hunt at about 11 months old.

A baby elephant is called a calf. Elephant calves weigh 200-250 pounds at birth and can stand within 20 minutes. The entire herd helps raise calves — even "aunties" help babysit!

A baby kangaroo is called a joey. The word likely comes from an Aboriginal Australian word and is used for all marsupial babies. Joeys are born the size of a jellybean and crawl into their mother's pouch, where they stay for 6-10 months.

A baby fish is called a fry. Newly hatched fish are called fry, and when they develop into juveniles they may be called fingerlings. The word "fry" comes from Old English "fryge" meaning offspring or young.

A baby goose is called a gosling. The word comes from Old English "gōs" (goose) + "-ling" (diminutive suffix meaning small or young). Goslings can swim and dive within 24 hours of hatching.

Yes! BabyAnimalNames.com offers free printable flashcards, worksheets, coloring pages, and bingo cards for teachers and parents. We also have an interactive quiz with 200+ questions to test knowledge. Visit our complete guide or check the blog for teaching tips.

Baby animals are called by specific names depending on their species. The most common include puppy (dog), kitten (cat), calf (cow, elephant, whale), cub (lion, tiger, bear), foal (horse), and joey (kangaroo). There are over 100 different baby animal names! See our complete guide for all of them.

Young animals are called the same names as baby animals — the specific name depends on the species. For example, a young dog is a puppy, a young frog is a tadpole, a young kangaroo is a joey, and a young monkey is an infant. Visit our young animals page for the complete list.

No, "chalk" is not a baby animal name. You might be thinking of "chick" (a baby chicken or bird) or "calf" (a baby cow, elephant, or whale). The confusion likely comes from mishearing these similar-sounding words. There is no animal whose baby is called a "chalk."

While "babe" can refer to a young animal informally (like the famous movie pig "Babe"), it is not an official baby animal name. The correct terms are species-specific: piglet for pigs, calf for cows, lamb for sheep, etc. "Babe" is more commonly used as a term of endearment for humans.

Newborn animals have the same names as baby animals — calf (newborn cow), puppy (newborn dog), kitten (newborn cat), foal (newborn horse), etc. "Newborn" simply describes the age (first few days/weeks), while the species-specific name stays the same. See our newborn animals page for more.