“Give me a proper name…!”

I’ve been on a lot of African safaris, but even I don’t know the right names for some of the male, female and baby animals. I’m sure a lot of you are in the same boat, so here’s a quick guide to the major species. If you have any other suggestions, please add them in the comments section below…

Cats

There are lots of different types of cats found in Africa:

• lions

• leopards

• cheetahs

• servals

• caracals

• African golden cats

• jungle cats

• sand cats

• African wildcats

• black-footed cats

However, apart from ‘lioness’, I don’t know of any specific words for the males and females. That’s a bit disappointing. Come on, guys!

When it comes to the young, lions, leopards and cheetahs are said to have cubs, but people sometimes use the word kit (or kitten) for the smaller cat species.

Gorillas

There are two species of gorilla, each divided into two subspecies:

• Western gorilla

  • Western lowland gorilla

  • Cross River gorilla

• Eastern gorilla

  • Mountain gorilla

  • Eastern lowland gorilla

The ‘famous’ ones studied by Dian Fossey are the mountain gorillas.

Male gorillas are known by different names depending on their ages. Younger adults that are 8-12 years old are called blackbacks as they have black backs. (Duh!) After that, they’re known as silverbacks because, funnily enough, they have silver backs. Unfortunately, there’s no specific term for a female gorilla (or for a lot of female monkeys either).

Young gorillas are called infants.

Zebras

There are three species of zebra in Africa:

• Grévy’s zebra

• Plains (or common) zebra

• Mountain zebra

Within these species, there are different subspecies, but they all look so similar to horses (apart from the stripes!) that the names for male, female and young animals are all the same: stallions, mares and foals.

As with horses, the foals are called colts if they’re male and fillies if they’re female. However, some people use the word cubs for young zebras. Bizarre…

Just about everything else…!

Most people just refer to elephants, rhinos, hippos, African buffalos, giraffes and wildebeest as ‘males’ and ‘females’—if they can tell them apart…! However, they’re properly called bulls and cows. (No disrespect intended…!)

The young are all called calves, but it’s also fine to say ‘baby this’ or ‘baby that’.

I have to say that in naming all these animals there’s been a real failure of imagination. I can see that some of these animals do look a bit like cattle, but rhinos and giraffes? Seriously?!

Verdict

Considering there are so many collective nouns for African animals, including a dazzle of zebras and a coalition of cheetahs, there are disappointingly few names for the male, female and baby animals you find on safari.

For most species, you have to call them bulls, cows and calves, or there aren’t any specific names at all!

Given this paucity of nomenclature, I think it might be time for an enterprising individual (or a couple of blokes down the pub!) to invent a few names. What do you think?

If they’re good enough, I might even start using them. Possibly…

If you’d like to order a framed print of one of my wildlife photographs, please visit the Prints page.

If you’d like to book a lesson or order an online photography course, please visit my Lessons and Courses pages.