Adjectives to Describe Animals in Spanish

Quick Answer

Furry (peludo)? Adorable (adorable)? Terrifying (aterrador)? How would you describe your favorite animal in Spanish?

In this article, you'll learn loads of adjectives that you can use to describe the animals you love...and also those you hate!

Size

First let's see how to describe the size (el tamaño) of different animals.

English	Spanish	English	Spanish
microscopic	microscópico	underweight	muy flaco/de peso más bajo que el normal
minuscule	minúsculo	skinny	flaco
miniature	enano/en miniatura	thin	delgado
tiny	chiquitito/pequeñito	fat	gordo
small	pequeño/chico	chubby	rechoncho/regordete/llenito/gordito
little	pequeño/chico	plump	rechoncho/regordete/llenito
big	grande	overweight	con sobrepeso
huge	enorme	tall	alto
enormous	enorme	short	bajo/chaparro
giant	gigante	humongous	enorme

Let's see a couple of examples.

examples
Ay, esa catarina está bien chiquitita. Aw, that ladybug is so tiny.
Guau, ¡qué serpiente más enorme! Wow, what a humongous snake!

Colors/Patterns

Now let's learn some of the words you can use to describe the special colors or patterns an animal's coat or skin can have.

English	Spanish	English	Spanish
striped	rayado/listado	ginger	rojizo/anaranjado
spotted	con manchas/manchado	tabby	atigrado
clouded	nublado/nubloso	calico	tricolor
brindled	pinto/manchado	tricolor	tricolor
solid	liso	multicolor	multicolor
dappled	rodado	iridescent	iridiscente
speckled	moteado	fluorescent	fluorescente

Here are some examples:

examples
Los gatos tricolores siempre son hembras. Calico cats are always female.
La yegua rodada era muy mansa. The dappled mare was very mild-mannered.

Texture

Next, let's take a look at words used to describe the way the coat or skin of an animal might feel.

English	Spanish	English	Spanish
fluffy	esponjoso	spiny	con púas
furry	peludo	sleek	liso y brillante
poofy	esponjoso	feathery	con plumas
hairy	peludo	rough	áspero
shaggy	lanudo/peludo	smooth	liso
spiky	con puntas/con púas	slimy	baboso
prickly	con púas	scaly	escamoso

Here are a few examples:

examples
Un conejo esponjoso está sentado en el jardín. A fluffy bunny is sitting in the garden.
Un gusano baboso salió de la maceta. A slimy worm popped out of the flowerpot.

Miscellaneous

Finally, here are a list of miscellaneous words you can use to describe animals.

English	Spanish	English	Spanish
cute	lindo/precioso/mono	scary/terrifying	aterrador
adorable	adorable	poisonous/venomous	venenoso
nimble	ágil/diestro	dangerous	peligroso
sassy	pícaro	creepy	espeluznante
friendly	amigable	sneaky	furtivo

For example:

examples
Ese cachorro se ve muy amigable. That puppy looks really friendly.
Los mapaches son muy diestros. Raccoons are very nimble.

Looking for more articles about animals? Check these out!

• Onomatopoeia in Spanish

• How to Say “Dog” in Spanish

• Animal "Adivinanzas"

• Interactive vocabulary practice: Animals

• Interactive vocabulary practice: Sea Creatures