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Young animals β those not yet fully mature β are called by specific names that vary by species. If you're wondering what young animals are called, this comprehensive guide lists the names of young animals for over 100 species.
Young Alpaca β Cria
Alpaca crias are almost always born between 10am and 2pm β mothers time it so the baby has the warmest day to dry off!
Young Camel β Calf
Baby camels are born without a hump β it only develops as they start storing fat from solid food!
Young Cat β Kitten
Kittens are born with blue eyes β their true eye color doesn't develop until they're 6-8 weeks old!
Young Chicken β Chick
Chicks communicate with their mother while still inside the egg!
Young Chinchilla β Kit
Chinchilla kits are born with all 60 of their adult teeth β and their fur is so dense that parasites can't survive on it!
Young Cow β Calf
A newborn calf weighs about 75-100 pounds!
Young Dog β Puppy
Puppies are born with their eyes sealed shut β they can't see until they're about 2 weeks old!
Young Donkey β Foal
Donkey foals have a strong instinct to follow β they trail behind almost anything that moves!
Young Duck β Duckling
Ducklings can dive underwater at just one day old!
Young Ferret β Kit
Ferret kits are born so tiny they weigh less than 10 grams β about the weight of two nickels!
Young Goat β Kid
The word "kid" for a human child originally came from baby goats!
Young Goose β Gosling
Goslings often ride on their parents' backs to stay safe from predators!
Young Guinea Pig β Pup
Unlike most rodents, guinea pig pups are born ready to go β fully furred, eyes open, and able to eat solid food!
Young Hamster β Pup
Hamster pups are born so tiny they could fit on a penny β weighing just 2 grams!
Young Horse β Foal
Baby horses are born with legs almost full-length β they grow into them!
Young Llama β Cria
Baby llamas are called crias (Spanish for "baby") and are born during the day β almost never at night!
Young Mouse β Pup
Mouse pups grow incredibly fast β they double their birth weight in just 3 days!
Young Pig β Piglet
Piglets are born with a full set of teeth and can nurse within minutes!
Young Rabbit β Bunny (Kitten)
A mother rabbit only nurses her babies for about 5 minutes a day β but the milk is incredibly rich!
Young Rat β Pup (Kitten)
Baby rats are called kittens or pups β and they can have babies of their own when they're just 5 weeks old!
Young Sheep β Lamb
Lambs are usually born as twins, and the mother identifies her babies by smell!
Young Turkey β Poult
A poult can fly before it can walk well β they roost in trees at just 2 weeks old!
Young Badger β Cub
Badger cubs are born in February and don't see the outside world until April β they spend their first 2 months underground!
Young Bat β Pup
A baby bat can weigh up to a third of its mother's body weight β that's like a human giving birth to a 40-pound baby!
Young Bear β Cub
A newborn bear cub weighs only about 1 pound, but its mother can weigh 400+ pounds!
Young Beaver β Kit
Beaver kits are born knowing how to swim and build β it's pure instinct!
Young Bison β Calf
Baby bison are called "red dogs" because they're born orange-red and don't turn brown until they're a few months old!
Young Cheetah β Cub
Cheetah cubs have a mohawk-like mane that makes them look like honey badgers β a clever disguise!
Young Coyote β Pup
Coyote pups are so playful that they've been known to play with dog toys left in yards!
Young Deer β Fawn
Fawns have no body odor at all β predators literally can't smell them!
Young Elephant β Calf
Elephant calves are raised by the entire herd β even "aunties" help babysit!
Young Elk β Calf
Elk calves are born scentless β predators can't smell them even if they walk right past their hiding spot!
Young Fox β Kit
Fox kits are also called "cubs" or "pups" β all three names are correct!
Young Giraffe β Calf
A baby giraffe drops 5 feet to the ground when born β and it's completely fine!
Young Gorilla β Infant
Baby gorillas are carried everywhere by mom for the first 5 months!
Young Hedgehog β Hoglet
Hoglets are born with about 100 soft white spines under their skin that emerge within hours β like a pincushion coming to life!
Young Hippopotamus β Calf
Hippo calves are born underwater and have to swim to the surface for their first breath!
Young Kangaroo β Joey
A newborn joey is the size of a jellybean β blind, hairless, and crawls to the pouch on its own!
Young Koala β Joey
Koala joeys eat their mother's special droppings called "pap" to digest eucalyptus!
Young Leopard β Cub
A mother leopard moves her cubs to a new hiding spot every few days to keep them safe!
Young Lion β Cub
A lioness can give birth to 1-4 cubs at a time, and they have spots that fade with age!
Young Meerkat β Pup
Meerkat pups have "babysitters" β one adult always stays behind to watch the pups while the rest forage!
Young Monkey β Infant
Baby monkeys have a special cry that makes every adult in the troop come running!
Young Moose β Calf
A moose calf can outrun a human by the time it's 5 days old!
Young Narwhal β Calf
Baby narwhals are born without their famous "unicorn horn" β the tusk is actually a left tooth that grows through the lip starting at age 1!
Young Otter β Pup
Sea otter moms wrap their babies in kelp like a blanket so they don't float away while hunting!
Young Panda β Cub
A newborn panda cub is 1/900th the weight of its mother β one of the smallest ratios of any mammal!
Young Platypus β Puggle
Platypus puggles don't have a belly button β they hatch from eggs and absorb milk through their mother's skin!
Young Polar Bear β Cub
A polar bear cub is born weighing just 1 pound β but its mother can weigh 1,000 pounds. That's like a human giving birth to something the size of a penny!
Young Porcupine β Porcupette
Baby porcupines are called porcupettes and are born with soft quills that harden within an hour β like a pincushion that turns into armor!
Young Raccoon β Kit
Raccoon kits are famous for their "bandit mask" β it appears at just 10 days old!
Young Red Panda β Cub
Red panda cubs are born the size of a hamster but grow to be excellent tree climbers β they use their bushy tail as a blanket in cold weather!
Young Reindeer β Calf
Reindeer calves can outrun a human when they're just one day old β they have to keep up with the migrating herd!
Young Rhinoceros β Calf
Baby rhinos are born without horns β the horn starts as a flat pad and grows over time!
Young Skunk β Kit
Baby skunks can't produce their famous smell until they're about 2-3 weeks old β but they practice their spray stance from day one!
Young Squirrel β Pup (Kitten)
Baby squirrels are born with their teeth β they need them to gnaw on solid food by 6 weeks!
Young Tiger β Cub
Tiger cubs are born with blue eyes that gradually change to amber!
Young Wolf β Pup
Wolf pups are raised by the entire pack β even non-parents bring them food!
Young Wolverine β Kit (Cub)
Wolverine kits are born with pure white fur that gradually darkens as they grow β like tiny snow weasels turning into fierce predators!
Young Zebra β Foal
Baby zebras have brownish stripes that turn black as they grow!
Young Dolphin β Calf
Dolphin calves are born tail-first so they don't drown β they surface for air immediately!
Young Jellyfish β Ephyra
Jellyfish babies clone themselves β a single polyp can produce dozens of identical ephyrae!
Young Manatee β Calf
Manatee calves nurse underwater and must surface to breathe every few minutes β mom helps them up!
Young Octopus β Hatchling
An octopus mother guards her eggs for months without eating β then dies right after they hatch!
Young Sea Turtle β Hatchling
The temperature of the sand determines if a turtle hatchling is male or female β warmer sand makes more females!
Young Seahorse β Fry
In seahorses, dads give birth! The male carries the eggs and delivers up to 2,000 babies!
Young Seal β Pup
Seal pups triple their weight in just 4-6 weeks of nursing β then mom leaves them on their own!
Young Shark β Pup
Some shark species have "winner-takes-all" pregnancies β the strongest pup eats the others before birth!
Young Walrus β Calf
Walrus calves nurse for over 2 years β one of the longest nursing periods of any mammal!
Young Whale β Calf
A blue whale calf drinks about 200 liters of milk per day and gains 200 pounds daily!
Young Crow β Chick
Baby crows have bright blue eyes β they turn black as they grow up!
Young Eagle β Eaglet
Eaglets practice "branching" β hopping branch to branch β before their first real flight!
Young Flamingo β Chick
Flamingo chicks are fed bright red "crop milk" that both parents produce in their throats β it turns the chicks pink!
Young Hawk β Eyas
Baby hawks are called "eyas" β a unique term from medieval falconry!
Young Owl β Owlet
Baby owls sleep face-down because their heads are too heavy to hold up!
Young Parrot β Chick
Parrot chicks learn their species-specific calls from their parents β like learning a language!
Young Peacock β Peachick
Peachicks can fly at just a few days old β long before they grow their famous tail feathers!
Young Penguin β Chick
Emperor penguin dads don't eat for 115 days while incubating eggs β losing nearly half their body weight!
Young Pigeon β Squab
Baby pigeons are called "squabs" and are fed "pigeon milk" β a cottage cheese-like substance both parents produce!
Young Swan β Cygnet
The word "cygnet" comes from the same root as the constellation Cygnus the Swan!
Young Alligator β Hatchling
Mother alligators gently carry their babies in their terrifying jaws β incredible control!
Young Chameleon β Hatchling
Baby chameleons can catch flies with their tongue within hours of hatching β born hunters!
Young Crocodile β Hatchling
Baby crocodiles call out from inside their eggs to tell mom it's time to dig them out!
Young Frog β Tadpole
Tadpoles are sometimes called "pollywogs" β an old English word meaning "head-wiggle"!
Young Iguana β Hatchling
Baby iguanas can drop their tail to escape predators right from birth β and it grows back!
Young Lizard β Hatchling
Baby chameleons can change color from the moment they hatch β no practice needed!
Young Salamander β Larva
Axolotls are salamander babies that never grow up β they stay in their larval form forever!
Young Snake β Snakelet
Baby venomous snakes are fully venomous from birth β they can be just as dangerous as adults!
Young Toad β Tadpole
Toad tadpoles are actually more toxic than frog tadpoles β their skin contains bufotoxins from birth!
Young Turtle β Hatchling
Baby turtles have a temporary "egg tooth" on their snout to break out of the shell β it falls off days later!
Young Ant β Larva
Ant larvae can "vote" β they decide the next queen by who they feed the most!
Young Bee β Larva
Whether a bee becomes a queen or worker depends entirely on what it's fed as a baby β royal jelly makes queens!
Young Beetle β Grub
One in four animals on Earth is a beetle β and they all start as grubs!
Young Butterfly β Caterpillar
A caterpillar's first meal is usually its own eggshell β packed with nutrients!
Young Dragonfly β Nymph
Dragonfly nymphs have a retractable jaw that shoots forward in milliseconds β faster than the eye can see!
Young Grasshopper β Nymph
Baby grasshoppers are called nymphs and go through "incomplete metamorphosis" β no caterpillar stage!
Young Ladybug β Larva
Ladybug larvae look like tiny fierce alligators β nothing like the cute spotted adults they become!
Young Mosquito β Wriggler
Mosquito babies are called "wrigglers" because of how they wiggle through water!
Young Moth β Caterpillar
Moth caterpillars can eat 86,000 times their own body weight before becoming adults!
Young Spider β Spiderling
Baby spiders can fly! They release silk threads that catch the wind β called "ballooning"!
Young animals are called different names depending on their species: puppy (young dog), kitten (young cat), cub (young lion/tiger/bear), calf (young cow/elephant/whale), foal (young horse), joey (young kangaroo), tadpole (young frog).
The young of a monkey is called an infant. Baby monkeys cling to their mother's belly and ride on her back as they grow.
Names of young animals include puppy, kitten, cub, calf, foal, joey, tadpole, fry, nymph, kit, pup, infant, and many more. Each species has its own unique young animal name.