Want to impress whilst on safari by knowing your animal baby names? Then here’s a useful list to check out before you go, cataloging the names of any baby animals you might expect to see whilst in Africa… if you’re lucky!
Whilst some animal baby names are quite general and used to reference the babies of many species (such as cub, used for dozens of mammals), other baby animal names are specific to just one species only.
Most people know that a baby elephant is a calf… but did you know that a baby porcupine is called a porcupette? Amazing (and could probably make the list of funniest animals names)!
There are some more real gems of baby animals names below, so have a read and let us know what you think:
African animal baby names: Mammals
| Animal | Animal baby name |
| Aardvark | Calf or cub |
| African Buffalo | Calf |
| Anteater | Pup |
| Antelope | Calf |
| Ape | Infant |
| Baboon | Infant |
| Bat | Pup |
| Bongo | Calf |
| Bonobo | Baby |
| Camel | Calf |
| Cheetah | Cub |
| Chimpanzee | Infant |
| Eland | Calf |
| Elephant | Calf |
| Fox | Pup, cub or kit |
| Giraffe | Calf |
| Gorilla | Infant |
| Hare | Leveret |
| Hippopotamus | Calf |
| Honey Badger | Kit, cub |
| Horse | Foal, colt (male) or filly (female) |
| Hyena | Cub, pup, whelp |
| Jackal | Pup |
| Kudu | Calf |
| Leopard | Cub |
| Lion | Cub |
| Mongoose | Pup |
| Monkey | Infant |
| Oryx | Calf |
| Porcupine | Porcupette |
| Rabbit | Bunny, kit, kitten, nestling |
| Rhinoceros | Calf |
| Sea lion | Pup, calf |
| Seal | Pup |
| Serval | Kitten |
| Wild Dog | Pup |
| Zebra | Colt, foal |
Litter of African wild dog pups
Animal baby names: Birds of Africa
| Animal | Animal baby name |
| Cormorant | Shaglet, chick |
| Crane | Chick, colt |
| Dove | Squab, chick |
| Duck | Duckling |
| Eagle | Eaglet, fledgling |
| Flamingo | Chick |
| Goose | Gosling |
| Guineafowl | Keet |
| Ostrich | Chick |
| Owl | Owlet, fledgling |
| Parrot | Chick |
| Pelican | Chick, nestling |
| Penguin | Chick |
| Pigeon | Squab, squeaker |
| Vulture | Chick |
A flamingo chick takes its first steps
African animal baby names: Arachnida & insects
| Animal | Animal baby name |
| Ant | Antling, larva, pupa |
| Bee | Larva |
| Cicada | Nymph |
| Cockroach | Nymph |
| Fly | Maggot |
| Grasshopper | Nymph |
| Louse | Nymph |
| Mantis | Nymph |
| Mosquito | Nymph, wriggler, tumbler |
| Spider | Spiderling |
| Termite | Larva |
Maggots, baby flies, a tasty treat for some
African animal baby names: Reptiles & amphibians
| Animal | Animal baby name |
| Crocodile | Hatchling |
| Frog | Polliwog, tadpole, froglet |
| Lizard | Hatchling |
| Newt | Eft |
| Snake | Snaklet, neonate, hatchling |
| Toad | Tadpole, toadlet |
| Turtle | Hatchling |
Animal baby names: A crocodile hatchling, hatching
We’ve scoured the internet high and wide to bring you this list of African animal baby names (see all references below the comments). If you know of any animal baby names that we can add, please let us know using the comments section below!
Interested in animal names? Perhaps you should check out our articles on the collective names for animals and collective names for birds of Africa.
Discover more of our wildlife posts…
The Elephant Trunk – In Detail
October 16, 2020/by EdWhy Do Flamingos Stand On One Leg?
August 25, 2020/by EdWhat Sound Does A Zebra Make?
November 10, 2020/by EdThe World’s Largest Flying Birds
November 19, 2020/by EdApe vs Monkey: What Are The Differences?
September 2, 2020/by EdWhat Are ‘The Little Five’ Animals?
January 10, 2018/by safarisafricana teamWombat Poop… Why Is It Cube-Shaped?
December 20, 2020/by Guest BloggerToad vs Frog: How To Tell The Difference
November 6, 2020/by EdWhy Are Flamingos Pink?
August 26, 2020/by Ed