8.2 Large Animal Species Terms
Large Animal Terms
You are certainly familiar with terms such as “horse,” “cow,” and “goat.” However, in the veterinary field, we sometimes refer to these species by an adjective relating to their scientific name.
| Common Name | Adjective |
|---|---|
| Cow | Bovine |
| Horse | Equine |
| Sheep,” | Ovine |
| Goat | Caprine |
| Pig | Porcine (or Swine) |
Within every species, we have unique names for different age and sex groups. This is especially important in production animals and breeding animals, so these terms are more often used in the large animal world than with companion animals. It is important to know the common terms associated with each species in order to understand what stage of production they are in, and to communicate clearly with the client. Veterinarians can tell a lot about what diseases might be affecting an animal based on these categories.
The following tables show some common terms for each species, divided by age and sex. Reproductive status is also important to note in these terms. In the following tables, “intact” will indicate they have not had reproductive organs removed, while “castrated” will mean testicles have been removed, and therefore breeding is not possible. While we often spay dogs and cats, that procedure is not common in large animals unless it is medically required. Therefore, we do not tend to have terms describing spayed vs. intact females.
Bovine
| Sex | Age/Status | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Intact male | Adult | Bull |
| Castrated male | Any | Steer |
| Intact female | Adult – given birth | Cow |
| Young Adult – never given birth | Heifer | |
| Adult – finished lactation and not producing milk | Dry cow | |
| Either | Baby | Calf |
Other terms:
- Herd: Group of cattle
- Calving: Giving birth to a bovine
Equine
| Sex | Age/Status | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Intact male | Young | Colt |
| Adult | Stallion | |
| Castrated male | Any | Gelding |
| Intact female | Young | Filly |
| Adult | Mare | |
| Either | Baby | Foal |
Other terms:
- Herd: Group of horses
- Foaling: Giving birth to an equine
Horse Height
Horse height is measured in hands from the ground to the withers.
1 hand = 4 inches
Ovine
| Sex | Age/Status | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Intact male | Adult | Ram |
| Castrated male | Any | Wether |
| Intact female | Adult | Ewe |
| Either | Baby | Lamb |
Other terms:
- Flock: Group of sheep
- Lambing: Giving birth to a sheep
Caprine
| Sex | Age/Status | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Intact male | Adult | Buck |
| Castrated male | Any | Wether |
| Intact female | Adult | Doe |
| Either | Baby | Kid |
Other terms:
- Herd: Group of goats
- Kidding: Giving birth to a goat
Swine
| Sex | Age/Status | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Intact male | Adult | Boar |
| Castrated male | Any | Barrow |
| Intact female | Adult – given birth | Sow |
| Young – not given birth | Gilt | |
| Either | Baby | Piglet |
Other terms:
- Herd: Group of pigs
- Farrowing: Giving birth to a pig
Additional Terms
Lactation: The period when a mammal is producing milk, applicable across species
Gestation: Period while an animal is pregnant
Parturition: Giving birth, for all species
The baby is coming!
In many species, the word for “giving birth” is the name of the newborn of that species turned into a verb by adding “ing” at the end.
Can you think of species where this is not the case?
Other notes:
- In cows, sheep, and goats, we combine the adult sex term with the newborn term to distinguish between male and female newborns. A baby male bovine is a bull calf, while a baby female goat is a doe kid.
- When talking about animals’ parents, we refer to the mom as the “dam” and the dad as the “sire”
Exercises
Attribution
Unless otherwise indicated, material on this page has been adapted from the following resource:
Root Kustritz, M. (2022). Veterinary preventative medicine. University of Minnesota. https://pressbooks.umn.edu/vetprevmed/, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
Image Credits
Friesian horse side view by Larissa Allen, CC BY-SA 3.0.
