Bizarre German Animal Names

What's Included Here

German has some strange animal names! A sloth is a "lazy animal" (Faultier), and a slug is a "naked snail" (Nacktschnecke). Let's explore 22 unusual German animal names, their literal meanings and how they're formed.

German animal names can be wonderfully descriptive, and sometimes downright bizarre. Once you understand how they're formed, though, they're often quite easy to remember!

We've already covered everyday German animal names in our vocabulary section. So this time, we're looking at some of the more unusual animal names in German.

Why Are German Animal Names So Funny?

German is particularly fond of compound words: words formed by combining two or more smaller words.

Many German animal names describe an animal's appearance, behaviour or a characteristic people once associated with it.

Take das Faultier, the German word for sloth:

It's a pretty accurate description, right?

Understanding these word combinations is a useful way to learn German vocabulary. Now let's explore some more animal names!

22 Bizarre German Animal Names

1. Der Ameisenbär - Ant Bear

Let's start with a bear that isn't actually a bear.

The Ameisenbär, or anteater, gets its German name from its favourite food: ants!

Anteaters use their long snouts and sticky tongues to collect thousands of ants and termites. They don't have teeth, but they're very good at getting insects out of their nests.

And despite the name, anteaters aren't related to bears. Although, when you see a giant anteater walking around with its big bushy tail and body, you can perhaps understand the comparison!

2. Der Waschbär - Wash Bear

Another bear that isn't actually a bear!

Raccoons are famous for appearing to wash their food before eating it! I'm sure you've seen that viral video of a raccoon washing cotton candy, right?

No wonder the Germans decided to call it a Waschbär, or washing bear.

3. Die Fledermaus - Flutter Mouse

The German word for bat can be explained as flutter mouse.

The first part comes from an older word associated with fluttering (fledern), while Maus means, as you probably know, mouse!

Of course, bats aren't mice. But you can see why someone may think they look like little mice with wings.

4. Der Truthahn - Turkey

We're not entirely certain about the history of this one!

One proposed explanation for the name connects Truthahn with older German words associated with threatening or making a threatening sound (drohen).

That would make threatening rooster a possible historical interpretation.

Turkeys can be surprisingly intimidating, so perhaps there's something to it!

5. Das Faultier - Lazy Animal

Sloths are known for their slow movements, so this name is perfectly fitting!

6. Das Gürteltier - Belt Animal

An armadillo is a belt animal in German.

The name refers to the bands of protective armour covering its body. Once you notice those bands, the German name makes sense!

7. Das Schnabeltier - Beak Animal

The platypus is already one of nature's stranger creations: a mammal with a duck-like bill that lays eggs.

So it seems only fitting that it should have an equally unusual name. And what better feature to name it after than its peculiar beak?

8. Das Stinktier - Stink Animal

Not the most flattering name, but certainly a fitting one!

Skunks are famous for spraying a foul-smelling liquid when threatened. German gets straight to the point and calls them stink animals.

9. Das Erdmännchen - Little Earth Man

Meerkats spend much of their lives in underground burrows and often stand upright to keep watch.

Perhaps that's why little earth man feels like such a fitting description.

10. Das Nilpferd - Nile Horse

In German, a hippopotamus is a Nile horse.

You might also hear das Flusspferd, meaning river horse.

Interestingly, the English word hippopotamus comes from Greek words meaning river horse too!

German Animal Names With Schwein

Apparently, quite a few animals look like pigs to German speakers!

The word das Schwein means pig, and it appears in some unexpected animal names. Let's check them out.

11. Das Stachelschwein - Spiky Pig

A porcupine is a "spiky pig".

The name refers to the animal's long, sharp quills, which it uses for protection.

It's not actually a pig, of course. But pig with spikes is certainly memorable!

12. Das Wasserschwein - Water Pig

Could you have guessed that capybaras are called water pigs in German?

They're the world's largest living rodents, about the size of a small pig, and spend much of their time in and around water. So the German name is rather fitting!

13. Das Meerschweinchen - Little Sea Pig

A guinea pig is a little sea pig in German.

Notice the ending -chen, which makes Schwein into Schweinchen.

Why the sea? One possible explanation is that guinea pigs were brought to Europe from South America by ship, travelling across the ocean.

Strange German Names for Sea Animals

Let's have a look at some names for fish that aren't fish, dogs that live in the sea and turtles with shields.

14. Die Seekuh - Sea Cow

We've had water pigs and little sea pigs. Now it's time for a sea cow!

The German word Seekuh refers to a group of large aquatic mammals that includes manatees and dugongs.

Of course they're not actually related to cows, but they do have something in common: both are herbivores. Sea cows spend much of their time grazing on underwater plants.

And despite their enormous size, they're generally gentle, slow-moving animals.

So sea cow seems like a pretty appropriate name!

15. Der Tintenfisch - Ink Fish

A Tintenfisch is literally an ink fish.

The name refers to the ink that many cephalopods release as a defence mechanism.

Despite the name, these animals aren't fish at all, but molluscs!

For more precise vocabulary, German also has der Kalmar (squid) and der Oktopus (octopus).

16. Der Pottwal - Pot Whale

The German word for sperm whale is Pottwal.

As you might have guessed, the name is often associated with the whale's enormous, pot-like head.

And enormous it certainly is! Sperm whales have the largest brains of any living animal.

17. Der Seehund - Sea Dog

The German word Seehund literally means "sea dog".

There are two German nouns that look almost identical:

In Seehund, the word refers to the sea.

One useful distinction: Seehund specifically refers to the harbour seal, while Robbe is a more general word for seal.

18. Die Schildkröte - Shield Toad

The German word for turtle or tortoise literally translates as shield toad.

Of course, turtles aren't toads, but the comparison is easy enough to understand!

Naked Snails and Other Curious Creatures

Some German animal names are especially memorable because they describe something very specific about a creature. Here are some examples.

19. Der Schmetterling - Butterfly

You might think Schmetterling has something to do with schmettern, meaning to smash.

Surprisingly, however, it doesn't!

The name is historically connected to Schmetten, an old regional word for cream, related to the Czech word smetana.

According to an old folk belief, butterflies were thought to steal milk or cream.

Interestingly, the English word butterfly may have a similar connection to dairy products!

You can read more about the word's history in the DWDS dictionary.

20. Die Nacktschnecke - Naked Snail

A slug is simply a naked snail in German.

And once you picture a snail without its shell, it's hard to think of a more fitting name!

21. Die Spinne - Spider

Unlike most of the names on this list, Spinne isn't a compound word.

But it has an interesting connection to the verb spinnen, meaning to spin, which makes sense when you consider how spiders produce silk and construct their webs.

22. Der Mistkäfer - Dung Beetle

And finally, the dung beetle.

The German name is unsurprisingly literal: a beetle associated with dung! What more is there to say?

More Curious German Vocabulary

Once you start noticing how German builds animal names, you'll begin spotting similar combinations everywhere.

If you'd like to explore further, have a look at our guides to German compound words and weird German words.

And if you're curious about what happens when animals find their way into everyday expressions, explore our collection of German animal idioms.