In keeping with the proverbial madness of the March hare (which, by the way, refers to the phenomenon of bunnies acting bonkers during their spring breeding season) …
Photo by Hardyplants via Wikimedia Commons
I thought it would be fun to quiz you on a few obscure names for animal babes. Take a gander at the list of names, below:
1. Eyas
2. Shoat
3. Leveret
4. Cygnet
5. Sac Fry
6. Yowie
Now, try to match each name to the young animal it refers to:
A. Pig
B. Hawk
C. Swan
D. Salmon
E. Rabbit
F. Sheep
You’ll find answers beneath each photo that follows, so don’t peek till you’ve made your matches.
Photo by Dominicus Johannes Bergsma via Wikimedia Commons
Eyas [ahy-uhs] is a nestling hawk or falcon (eyas is a variant of the Middle French niais, meaning “nestling”).
Photo by a United States Department of Agriculture employee via Wikimedia Commons
Shoat [shoht] is a young pig that has recently been weaned from its mother’s milk.
Photo by JJ Harrison via Wikimedia Commons
Leveret [lev-er-it] is a young rabbit or hare, specifically one that is less than a year old.
Photo by Uwe Kils via Wikimedia Commons
Cygnet [sig-nit] is a young swan.
Photo by Fernando de Sousa via Wikimedia Commons
Sac fry [sack fry] is a newly hatched salmon that remains safely hidden in the gravel habitat of its streambed nest until its yolk sac (or “lunch box,” as scientists commonly call it) is depleted.
Photo by Keven Law via Wikimedia Commons
Yowie [yow-ee] is the diminutive version of the old Scottish term yowe, which means ewe. So, “yowie” describes a little ewe.
As a side note, you might be interested to know that “yowie” also refers to a mythical hominid reputed to live in the Australian wilderness—you know, like our Mr. Bigfoot, only he appears to have less hair …
Photo by Somersetpedia.paul via Wikimedia Commons
One last word to the wise: if you holler “yowie!” to summon a lamb, someone may rush to your aid, thinking you’ve dropped a hammer on your toe.
Just sayin’.
I only knew the term cygnet and the rest were names I ‘ve never heard before. How do these terms get established? And by whom? Yep, If I hear someone holler yowie , I’m thinking I better go check out who got hurt.
Thanks MaryJane, that was fun. Only knew cygnet, sac fry, and shoal. The pictures you chose are adorable. And thanks for all the interesting posts, very enjoyable and I’ve learned a lot about things I would have never researched! Blessings to all of you!
“Yowie” and “eyas” – got me on those two! We have lots of hawks around, so I’ll be looking for the li’l eyas’…
I didn’t know any of them! Thanks for schoolin’ me! And now, to use one in a sentence: I found a leveret hiding in the grass last spring. I picked it up, gave it some snuggles, then let it go. He snacked out of our garden the rest of the year, but I didn’t mind.
I’m a crossword puzzle enthusiast and pride myself on knowing many unusual words – but….
I got hawk/eyas – guessed on salmon/sac fry (just sounded like it fit) and guessed on swan/cygnet – –
but the others stumped me – – yes, cute pictures – – but have you ever seen an ugly baby
picture of any species ? ? 🙂
Well that was fun and interesting! I got 3 of the 6 correct, YAY me!
I really enjoyed that.
Darlene
That was a real teaser, I only knew the cygnet and the shoat. Keep ’em coming kid.
Got them but then I had heard them all before except the hawk. So that was a matter of it being the only one left. Fun way to keep the brain in shape!
Fun! How about a post of the names of animal groups, like herd, colony, swarm…and some of the more unusual ones?
Like a tower of giraffes or a skein of geese? I read a book to my grandgirls last night about animals in groups. The book is a recent gift from a dear friend. Yes, good idea.