Common Shona Names
Here you will find common names of animals, birds, fish and reptiles in Shona language. The English-Shona page has a more comprehensive listing of names and includes names in different Shona dialects. Just like plants, some animals are only found in certain regions of Zimbabwe and names of those animals reflect the Shona dialects spoken in those regions. Click this Abbreviations link to view the meanings of abbreviations used.

Again, click this Abbreviations link to view the meanings of abbreviations used. The English-Shona page has a more comprehensive listing of names and includes names in different Shona dialects.

Submitting Shona Words
Help increase the Shona word list in the database for these Shona Language pages by submitting additional words I omitted and their meanings. Omissions may include instances where I did not cover all possible meanings of a word. In that case, treat the word as a new word and include all possible meanings for the word in question. Basic guide to submitting omitted words is on the Add Words page.

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This is an ongoing project and any suggestions you have to improve information offered here would be greatly appreciated. E-mail any comments or suggestions you have to Martin Shumba.

commonly called ant hills in Africa and Australia, and ant heaps in UK

Also called the African polecat, zoril, zorille, zorilla, Cape polecat, and African skunk.

honey badger (Mellivora capensis) or ratel in Afrikaans

African wild dog is also called African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, African painted dog, painted wolf, painted hunting dog, spotted dog, or ornate wolf.

kestrel is a name given to several different members of the falcon genus

Sardines, or pilchards, are common names used to refer to various small, oily fish within the herring family of Clupeidae.