Gender - animals

[katep830]

When referring to animals, does the grammatical gender change based on the animal's gender? For example, "the cat" is "el gato," but if I'm talking about a female cat, would I refer to her as "la gata?" Thanks!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Yes, many animals have a male and a female name, and the corresponding articles and adjectives must agree with gender and number.

[wrholt]

However, some animals have only one name, and that name has only one grammatical gender regardless of the biological sex of the animal.

Some better-known examples of such words include "la ardilla" (squirrel), "la rana" (frog), "el sapo" (toad), and "la cabra" (goat).

When the biological gender of one of these animals matters, one common way to show it is to add the word "macho" (male) or "hembra" (female): "la ardilla macho" (the male squirrel), "la rana macho" (the male frog), "el sapo hembra" (the female toad), "la cabra macho" (the billy goat).

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree. There are also some species that have exclusive names for the female and the male:

· vaca (cow) - toro (bull)
· yegua (mare) - caballo (horse)
· gallina (hen) - gallo (rooster)
...