Where do wild animals live?
The word for the type of place an animal lives is ‘habitat’
Panda bears’ habitat is the forests of Western China.
However, there are many types of habitat we can talk about.
- Forest
- A large area with lots of trees
- Jungle
- Like a forest but in a hotter place.
- Tundra
- An area of the planet which is too cold for trees to grow such as the arctic or in high mountains.
- Desert
- A very hot and dry environment like the Sahara Desert.
Types of wild animals
There are too many types to give a full list, but here are some broad categories
- Mammals
- Animals like humans, cats or elephants that become pregnant and produce milk for their young.
- Birds
- Animals with wings which lay eggs.
- Fish
- Most underwater animals are fish.
- Reptiles
- Cold-blooded scaly animals like a snake or lizard.
- Insects
- Small animals with six legs like ants, wasps or ladybugs.
Dangers to wild animals
Extinct is a word that, if you know it, you can use frequently in the IELTS speaking exam. There are some collocations which can be used with this word.
The dodo became extinct.
White tigers are in danger of extinction.
If an animal is at risk of extinction, we can also say that it is an endangered species.
Panda bears are an endangered species
There are several reasons animals might become endangered.
- Poaching
- ‘To poach’ is a verb meaning to hunt illegally. Many animals have suffered greatly from poaching. For example, elephants have been poached because the ivory in their tusks is valuable.
- Deforestation
- This word describes forests being cut down.. This is a cause of habitat loss for many animals.
- Forest fires
- As the planet is getting hotter and drier, massive fires in the forest are becoming more common.
- Climate change/Global warming
- These two phrases both describe the process of the planet getting warmer due to human actions. This can cause animals’ habitats to change so much that animals are no longer able to survive.
IELTS Wild Animals sample answers
The good thing about this vocabulary is that once you are confident with it, you can use it to answer questions on a range of topics. Take a look at some of these sample answers. As you can see, not all of the questions are about wild animals, but you can talk about them anyway.
What TV shows do you enjoy?
I love nature documentaries. For example, I was watching a show called Blue Planet. It is all about animals which live in the ocean. I think this show is interesting as most people do not get to see fish in their natural habitat. However, it is also quite sad because you can see the negative impact of climate change on these creatures.
What type of pet would you like?
I know it’s not practical, but the animal I would like most as a pet is a red panda bear. I went to visit them in their natural habitat when I was in China and I fell in love. They are small red mammals which live in the forest, so they would be hard to keep. However, I think they are so silly and cute that I would like one anyway.
What is a place you like to go to relax?
One of my favourite places to relax is in Spain. My parents have a holiday home in Andalucia near the national park. This park is full of mountains and pine forests. Because there is so much to see, you can spend your whole day hiking without getting bored. You can see all sorts of birds, even some rare ones like eagles. Although it is scary because there are sometimes forest fires, it’s a great place to unwind.
What is a famous tourist attraction where you live?
A place many visitors like to go to is London Zoo. It isn’t the largest zoo in the world, but it is easy to get to and has some great animals. They do a lot of work to protect endangered species. Most of the animals are mammals like gorillas and giraffes, but there is also an area focused on insects and a collection of animals from the arctic tundra.
IELTS wild animals vocabulary in the writing exam
You’ll also see wild animal vocabulary in IELTS writing questions. In many cases, you’ll be asked to talk about global warming or climate change. In this case, you can take the opportunity to discuss extinction and climate change and use some of the vocabulary from this article.
