Animals

1. Pas

   Dog

   Usage

   "Ugrizao me pas" — a dog bit me. Loose guard dogs are common in the villages of the Dalmatian hinterland

   Grammar Note

   The stem shifts: accusative "psa", plural "psi"

2. Mačka

   Cat

   Usage

   Community cats fill the old towns and harbours of the coast; in the lanes of Dubrovnik and Hvar they are part of the scenery

3. Ptica

   Bird

   Usage

   The general word; Kopački rit and the Neretva delta are famous for birdwatching

4. Riba

   Fish

   Usage

   The same word for the animal and the dish. Coastal menus split it into "bijela riba", the prized white fish, and cheaper "plava riba", the oily blue kind

5. Konj

   Horse

   Usage

   Used on riding tours in Lika and Slavonia; the heavy Slavonian breeds are protected as agricultural heritage

6. Krava

   Cow

   Usage

   Herds often block mountain roads; cow's milk is "kravlje mlijeko"

7. Svinja

   Pig

   Usage

   Pork as a food is "svinjetina"; the famous "pršut" ham is cured pork leg

8. Ovca

   Sheep

   Usage

   The sheep of Pag graze on salt-and-herb scrub, which is what makes "paški sir" cheese famous

9. Koza

   Goat

   Usage

   Herded on the Dalmatian islands and the limestone hills; you will order "kozji sir"

10. Kokoš

    Chicken (hen)

    Usage

    The living bird; chicken as a meat is the separate word "piletina" on menus

11. Patka

    Duck

    Usage

    One word for the farmyard duck and the wild one alike; common on Zagreb's Jarun lake and along the Danube

12. Magarac

    Donkey

    Usage

    Still a working animal on the Dalmatian islands, where dialect calls it "tovar". Applied to a person it means "idiot", so keep it to the animal

13. Medvjed

    Bear

    Usage

    Brown bears live in Gorski kotar and the Velebit; the word appears on hut warnings around Plitvice

    Grammar Note

    The Ijekavian form; Serbian's Ekavian equivalent has a different shape, "medved"

14. Vuk

    Wolf

    Usage

    Present in the Velebit and the Dalmatian hinterland but rarely seen, and a protected species

15. Lisica

    Fox

    Usage

    Often seen at dusk on the edge of towns and on mountain roads; do not feed them

16. Divlja svinja

    Wild boar

    Usage

    Widespread in the forests of Slavonia and Istria, where boar — "vepar" — appears on the local menu. Never approach one with young

17. Jelen

    Deer

    Usage

    Lives in the forests; watch for them crossing mountain roads at night

18. Zec

    Rabbit / Hare

    Usage

    Properly the wild hare; the domestic rabbit is "kunić" when you need to be precise. On a menu it is the meat

19. Jež

    Hedgehog

    Usage

    Turns up in gardens and campsites after dark; do not handle it. The sea urchin is "morski jež", the sea hedgehog

20. Vjeverica

    Squirrel

    Usage

    Common in Zagreb's Maksimir park and in the woods of Medvednica

    Grammar Note

    The Ijekavian form; Serbian has the different "veverica"

21. Miš

    Mouse

    Usage

    The small one; if you find one at your lodging, say "Ima miš u sobi"

22. Štakor

    Rat

    Usage

    A separate word from "miš" for the big one; use it when a hygiene complaint needs to be precise

    Grammar Note

    Serbian uses an entirely different word, "pacov"

23. Šišmiš

    Bat

    Usage

    A staple of any Croatian cave tour — Barać or the Velebit caves. Never touch one

    Grammar Note

    Serbian says "slepi miš", literally "blind mouse" — an entirely different word

24. Zmija

    Snake

    Usage

    The same word as in "Ima li ovdje zmija?" in the Nature & Outdoors category. The venomous one is the nose-horned viper, "poskok", common on Dalmatian rock. If bitten, say "Ugrizla me zmija" and call an ambulance

25. Gušter

    Lizard

    Usage

    Everywhere on sunny walls and ruins in summer, and harmless

26. Kornjača

    Tortoise / Turtle

    Usage

    The land tortoise is protected — illegal to move or take. Loggerhead turtles, "glavata želva", also pass through the Adriatic

27. Žaba

    Frog

    Usage

    Abundant in the Neretva delta, where frog is also a local dish; the same word covers toads

28. Komarac

    Mosquito

    Usage

    A serious summer nuisance in the Neretva delta and Slavonia. Ask a pharmacy "Imate li nešto protiv komaraca?"

29. Krpelj

    Tick

    Usage

    The insect to watch for in Croatian grass and forest — it carries Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis, endemic in Gorski kotar and Slavonia. Do not pull it out yourself: say "Ugrizao me krpelj" at a clinic

30. Pčela

    Bee

    Usage

    If you are allergic, say "Alergičan sam na ubod". A wasp is the separate word "osa"

31. Mrav

    Ant

    Usage

    For a complaint about your room: "Ima mrava" — there are ants

32. Žohar

    Cockroach

    Usage

    The word for a hygiene complaint: "Ima žohara u sobi" will get you another room

    Grammar Note

    Serbian uses an entirely different word, "bubašvaba"

33. Pauk

    Spider

    Usage

    Croatia has virtually no dangerous spiders. The same word also means a tow truck, which is why it appears on parking signs

34. Muha

    Fly

    Usage

    A nuisance on summer terraces; "Ima puno muha" may get you a different table

35. Meduza

    Jellyfish

    Usage

    They bloom in the Adriatic in summer; it is worth asking "Ima li meduza?" before you swim

36. Morski jež

    Sea urchin

    Usage

    Literally "sea hedgehog". They cover the Adriatic rocks and the spines go straight into a bare foot, so wear water shoes. At a clinic, "Stao sam na morskog ježa"

37. Dupin

    Dolphin

    Usage

    The same word as in "Možemo li vidjeti dupine?" in the Nature & Outdoors category. The Adriatic bottlenose dolphin is protected, and the Lošinj pod is the best known

38. Galeb

    Seagull

    Usage

    In every harbour town, and quick to raid an unattended plate on a terrace

39. Roda

    Stork

    Usage

    Čigoć in Lonjsko polje is known as the European stork village, with nests along every roofline

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