Animals

1. el gos

   Dog

   Usage

   A female dog is "la gossa". Many Barcelona venues allow dogs

2. el gat

   Cat

   Usage

   A female cat is "la gata". Community cats live in the old-town squares

3. l'ocell

   Bird

   Usage

   The general word; the plural is "els ocells"

4. el peix

   Fish

   Usage

   Same word for the animal and the food; used at the fish market

5. el cavall

   Horse

   Usage

   Trekking tours on horseback are common in the Pyrenees

6. la vaca

   Cow

   Usage

   Beef is "carn de vedella" (veal) or "de bou"

7. el porc

   Pig

   Usage

   Pork is "carn de porc". Show this to decline pork for religious reasons

8. la gallina

   Hen / chicken

   Usage

   A rooster is "el gall"; chicken as meat is a different word, "el pollastre"

9. l'ànec

   Duck

   Usage

   Seen in the Ebro Delta wetlands; the same word appears on menus

10. la cabra

    Goat

    Usage

    Seen on mountain farms; goat cheese is "formatge de cabra"

11. l'ovella

    Sheep

    Usage

    Grazed all over the Pyrenees. Lamb as meat is "el xai"

12. el senglar

    Wild boar

    Usage

    Comes down into Barcelona from the Collserola park. Never feed them — back away quietly

13. el cérvol

    Deer

    Usage

    Lives in the Pyrenean forests; the autumn rut is called "la bramada"

14. la guineu

    Fox

    Usage

    Found in the outskirts and nature parks. A distinctly Catalan word, unlike Spanish "zorro"

15. l'eriçó

    Hedgehog

    Usage

    Nocturnal, seen in gardens and by roadsides. The sea urchin is "l'eriçó de mar"

16. l'esquirol

    Squirrel

    Usage

    The red squirrel of the pine woods and parks

17. el conill

    Rabbit

    Usage

    Also common on menus — "conill amb allioli" is a classic

18. el ratolí

    Mouse

    Usage

    The small mouse; the larger rat is a different word, "la rata"

19. la rata

    Rat

    Usage

    The word to report one at your lodging

20. el ratpenat

    Bat

    Usage

    Flies over towns at dusk; it also appears on the Valencian coat of arms

21. la serp

    Snake

    Usage

    Mostly harmless, though the venomous adder ("l'escurçó") lives in the mountains

22. la sargantana

    Wall lizard

    Usage

    The small lizard darting across walls; harmless. The larger lizard is "el llangardaix"

23. la granota

    Frog

    Usage

    Croaks by rivers and paddies. The same word also means a boiler suit

24. la tortuga

    Turtle / tortoise

    Usage

    Tortoises live in the Ebro Delta and elsewhere; a sea turtle is "la tortuga marina"

25. la gavina

    Seagull

    Usage

    They raid seafront terrace tables — don't leave your plate unattended

26. el colom

    Pigeon

    Usage

    Swarms Plaça de Catalunya. Feeding them is banned by municipal by-law

27. la cigonya

    Stork

    Usage

    Builds huge nests on bell towers and poles; common inland

28. el mosquit

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Common on the summer coast. Repellent is "repel·lent de mosquits"

29. la panerola

    Cockroach

    Usage

    Use it to report one at your lodging. Quite unlike the Spanish "cucaracha"

30. la formiga

    Ant

    Usage

    They arrive if food is left out

31. l'abella

    Bee

    Usage

    Honey is "la mel". Seek care at once if you are allergic to stings

32. la vespa

    Wasp

    Usage

    Drawn to sweet drinks on summer terraces. A different word from the honeybee

33. l'aranya

    Spider

    Usage

    House spiders here are essentially harmless

34. la papallona

    Butterfly

    Usage

    Everywhere in the meadows in spring

35. la mosca

    Fly

    Usage

    Point at this if flies are a problem at an outdoor eatery

36. la medusa

    Jellyfish

    Usage

    Appears in the Mediterranean in summer; beaches raise a "meduses" warning flag

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