The American pronounced the Spanish letter “z” with the buzzing sound that we use as English speakers when we pronounce the letter “z” in English. He made the mistake with this Spanish word:

1. Zoológico (zoo)

The Spanish letter “z” sounds more like the English letter “s.”

So in that case both “casar” (to get married) and “cazar” (to hunt) sound exactly the same. And unless you are paying attention to the context of a conversation, you will not know if someone is getting married or hunting.

But I guess some people would argue that there isn’t much of a difference between the two 🙂

How To Say The Names of Animals in Spanish

Now let’s learn the following:

How to say hippopotamus in Spanish.
How to say rhinocerous in Spanish.
How to say chimpanzee in Spanish.
How to say owl in Spanish.
How to say vulture in Spanish.
How to say bison or buffalo in Spanish.
How to say zebra in Spanish.
How to say butterfly in Spanish.
How to say leopard in Spanish.

1. Hipopótamo – hippopotamus
2. Rinoceronte – rhinocerous
3. Chimpancé – chimpanzee
4. Lechuza/búhou – owl
5. Gallinazo/buitre/zamuro – vulture

The Paisas (People of Medellín use the word “gallinazo” but I have heard Spanish speakers from other
parts of the Spanish speaking world use the words “buitre” and “zamuro” for the English word “vulture.”)

6. Bisonte/búfalo – bison/buffalo
7. Cebra – zebra
8. Mariposa – butterfly
9. Leopardo – leopard

The “bisonte” or buffalo that I saw at the zoo today made me feel right at home and brought back a few childhood memories. I guess you could say we had something in common:

That’s because I noticed a “letrero” (sign) next to the “bisonte” that said “Regalo de zoológico del
Bronx, Nueva York.” Which means “Gift from the Bronx Zoo, New York.”