In this post: Get the tools you need to teach your kids about endangered and extinct animals in Spanish. Plus, learn our Spanish song about endangered animals from Level 2.
I can still vividly remember learning about the dodo in school and how sad I felt to learn that human activities had led to their extinction. While I knew that dinosaurs went extinct long ago, this was the first time I had learned that people could have the same effect on animal species.
Many kids naturally care about the animals we share a planet with and will do their best to protect them when given the knowledge and tools to do so. Teaching your kids about endangered and extinct animals is one part of raising children that understand the importance of protecting wildlife and animal habitats.
At Llamitas Spanish, we teach Spanish through thematic, cross-curricular units. These units incorporate the core subjects in Spanish, including phonics and literacy, math, science, cultural studies, music, and more.
In the fourth unit of our Level 2 curriculum, students will learn about extinct and endangered animals in Spanish. Within this overarching theme, students will apply their Spanish across the core subjects.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect to learn in our Spanish lessons about endangered and extinct animals.
Table of Contents
Names of Extinct and Endangered Animals in Spanish
While many young kids already understand that dinosaurs were once an animal on our planet that are now extinct, they may not realize that many other animal species have disappeared in more recent years.
Animals can become extinct due to natural disasters, climate change, and human activities like hunting and destroying animal habitats. Understanding extinction and conservation is an important part of helping these species to survive, which helps maintain a balanced ecosystem. That’s why it’s so important to teach our kids about extinction and endangered animals!
Fortunately, there are organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) that classify animals based on their conservation status to help protect them.
An animal’s conservation status can change in either direction over time—for example, giant pandas were upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in 2016 because of population growth, according to the World Wildlife Fund. But without our protection, many of these animals become more threatened over time.
Check out this list of extinct and endangered animals in Spanish:
| Spanish | Pronunciation | English | Conservation Status |
| mamut | mah-moot | mammoth | extinct |
| dodo | doh-doh | dodo | extinct |
| sapo dorado | sah-poh doh-rah-doh | golden toad | extinct |
| guacamayo glauco | gwah-kah-mah-yoh glahw-koh | glaucous macaw | critically endangered |
| diente de sable | dyehn-teh deh sah-blay | saber-toothed tiger | extinct |
| dinosaurio | dee-noh-sow-ryoh | dinosaur | extinct |
| panda gigante | pahn-dah hee-gahn-teh | giant panda | vulnerable |
| delfín rosado | dehl-feen rroh-sah-doh | pink river dolphin | vulnerable |
| uakaris calvo | oo-ah-kah-rees kahl-boh | bald uakari | vulnerable |
| tortuga gigante de Galápagos | ohr-too-gah hee-gahn-teh deh gah-lah-pah-gohs | Galápagos giant tortoise | vulnerable |
Discuss the list with your child. For example: ¿Cuál es tu animal favorito? Mi favorito es el delfín rosado.
You may want to spend some time learning together with your child about their favorite animal from the list.
Related post: Spanish Lessons about Dinosaurs
Spanish Song about Endangered Animals
Music is an important part of our curriculum, and our songs are popular with Llamitas Spanish learners! Songs are an excellent way to reinforce grammar concepts and vocabulary, and kids have so much fun with music that they don’t even realize they’re doing the hard work of learning a new language.
Students will learn several songs throughout Level 2, including this one about animales especiales (special animals).
You can check it out right here!
| Spanish Lyrics | English Lyrics |
| Hay animales que debemos cuidar Porque están en peligro de extinción. Debemos protegerlos Animales especiales |
There are animals we need to look after Because they are in danger of extinction. We must protect them Special animals |
Not only does this song reinforce language concepts from the unit, but it also teaches children the importance of caring for the animals we share the planet with and protecting animal habitats.
Related post: How to Develop Spanish Narration Skills
Learning Goals in the Unit
At Llamitas Spanish, students learn language through thematic learning. This means that each unit focuses on a theme, and learners are able apply their Spanish skills across subjects—we believe this is the best way to learn a language.
Our Spanish lessons about endangered and extinct animals are no different. For example, in this unit, students will:
- Gain practice with grammatical concepts such as verbs, nouns, and more.
- Use verbs to explore different animal movements.
- Learn to classify animals into five different groups.
- Discover why some animals are endangered through various texts, songs, poems, and stories.
One of the highlights of our Level 2 curriculum is our very own short story anthology Cuentos Cortos Infantiles.
In this unit, students will read the short story “El delfín rosado” (The Pink River Dolphin). Through this story, students will learn how these dolphins have become threatened due to a polluted habitat. But they’ll also be learning Spanish grammar in context, with comprehension activities included to support learning.
Related post: Elementary Homeschool Spanish Curriculum
Homeschool Spanish Curriculum Levels
Learning Spanish doesn’t have to include drilling, verb charts, or learning isolated grammar concepts. When you’re raising bilingual and biliterate children, we understand the importance of being able to learn and apply Spanish across subjects, and that’s what Llamitas Spanish is all about.
Our robust, open & go curriculum series includes everything you need to teach your kids Spanish in a way that is both culturally authentic and fun.
Level 1 is perfect for beginners and includes fun topics that kids love, from transportation to family, pets, and much more.
Level 2 builds on the skills learned in Level 1 and is where you’ll find lessons about endangered and extinct animals, as well as units on topics like daily routines, hobbies, hibernation, construction vehicles, and more!
We also have higher levels for more advanced students. Check out our shop for current offerings.
In every level of our curriculum series, students build their Spanish skills across subjects—including math, science, social studies, art, music, and literature. And with our bilingual teacher scripts, you don’t even need any previous teaching or Spanish experience. You literally just have to open the book and go!
Related post: How to Add a Foreign Language to Your Homeschooling
Lydia is a freelance parenting and education writer. She previously taught English as a second language and enjoys sharing her love of language learning with her children.