Thanks to Maeve Maddox at DailyWritingTips.com for this idea.

Not long ago, I posted an article and graphic about the creative and varied names for animal groups. Today, I’d like to talk about animal-related adjectives.

If something is like a dog, it’s canine. Cat-like things are feline. If something is related to cows, it’s bovine. Horsey things are equine. Most of us recognize these. What about aquiline? Some noses are described that way. Did you know it means eagle-like? I didn’t until recently. Nor did I know that there were dozens of such adjectives. Below is just a sampling:

• ant: formicine

• antelope: alcelaphine

• ass: asinine

• bear: ursine

• bee: apian

• bird: avian

• bull: taurine

• buzzard: buteonine

• camel: cameline

• deer/elk/moose: cervine

• chicken: galline

• crow: corvine

• dog: canine

• dolphin: delphine

• dove: columbine

• elephant: elephantine

• fish: piscine

• flea: pulicine

• fox: vulpine

• frog: ranine

• giraffe: giraffine

• hamster/gerbil: cricetine

• hornet/wasp: vespine

• horse: equine

• kangaroo:macropine

• leopard: pardine

• lion: leonine

• monkey: cercopithecine or simian

• mouse/rat: murine

• octopus: octopine

• owl: strigine

• peacock: pavonine

• pig: porcine

• porcupine: hystricine

• rabbit: lapine

• rattlesnake: crotaline

• reptile: reptilian

• rhinoceros: ceratorhine

• seal: phocine

• serpent: serpentine

• sheep: ovine

• skunk: mephitine

• squirrel: sciurine

• swan: cygnine

• tiger: tigrine

• tortoise: testudine

• turtle: chelonian

• wolf: lupine

• viper: viperine

• zebra: hippotigrine

Here’s a pinnable version: