Happy Mother’s Day to all the special critters we see at the Wildlife Medical Clinic and to all the human mothers that bring in these special critters for us to see. Did you know that baby animals tend have different names based on the species? Here is an incomplete list of some of the younger species’ we see at the clinic.
Baby birds:
Baby owls are called owlets, and along the same lines, an eagle is called an eaglet. A goose is called a gosling and a duck is called a duckling. Young pigeons are often called rooks and doves are called squabs. Birds, in general, are called hatchlings when they have recently hatched and don’t have many feathers. As a young bird starts to grow more feathers, they are called nestlings. Once a bird starts to grow their main flight feathers, they are called fledglings, and once they are starting to leave the nest, they can be called branchlings.
Baby mammals:
Like birds, baby mammals have a wide variety of terms. Younger raccoons, minks, squirrels, and foxes are all called kits. Baby hares are called leverets, and groundhogs are sometimes known as chucklings, but are also called kits or pups. A young coyote is called a pup, and a young opossum is called a joey.
Baby reptiles:
At the wildlife clinic, we do not see too many young reptiles throughout the year. However, we do occasionally see young turtles, which are known as hatchlings.
