What’s in a name?

Most people know that a baby dog is called a puppy and a baby cat is called a kitten. But some baby animals have names that you would never expect!

For example, pup is a very popular word: armadillos, bats, coyotes, dogs, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, moles, otters, prairie dogs, seals, sharks, and squirrels are all called pups when they are babies.

Another kind of animal that shares a baby name is the marsupial family: kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, possums, and koalas all have baby joeys.

Baby mice and rats are called pups as well, but they can also be called pinkies or kittens!

A baby fox is called a kit, and a baby badger is sometimes called one as well.

Alpaca and llama babies are called crias, while their close relatives the camels have calfs. Sheep have lambs, and goats have kids.

A baby boar is called a piglet, but could also be called a shoat or a farrow.

Baby codfish are called sprat, and baby frogs are called tadpoles or polliwogs.

Some animal babies have different names depending on whether they are boys or girls. Any baby chicken could be called a chick, but a girl could also be called a pullet, and a boy could be called a cockrell. Baby horses are called foals, but girls are fillies, and boys are colts.

Some animals have tricky names to pronounce. Baby swans are called cygnets, and baby geese are called goslings. A baby hawk is an eyas, a baby hare is a leveret, a baby ox is a stot, and a baby turkey is a poult.

And some animals have baby names just as strange as the animals are. A baby platypus is called a puggle!