De Naturis Animantium

     A friend and I recently came upon a fragment of Suetonius (fr. 161), called the De Naturis Animantium, which gives in Latin the sounds of many different animals. I do not know whether others have done this already for an Anglophone audience, but I give a list below with the animals' names translated. I suspect, albeit waveringly, that a Latin ear would hear the root word as the imitative portion, the remainder as suffix. So if rugire is of lions, then I suppose the lion's sound is 'rugi'. For those without Latin, the various X-re endings indicate an infinitive (e.g., to roar, to chirp). Hence a lion trained in grammar would, I speculate, conjugate in the first person singular present, saying 'fremo' or 'rugio'. Surely this would be more an urbane declaration than a bestial exclamation.

     I believe that I am further supported in this proposition by Aristophanes's The Frogs, in which the eponymous animals do not conjugate their cry, βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ; thus, for those writing comics in Latin, the root should suffice for onomatopoeia.



Lion: fremere or rugire [the O.L.D. does not give the former as onomatopoeic]

Tiger: rancare

Leopard: felire

Panther: caurire

Bear: uncare or saevire

Wild boar: frendere

Lynx: urcare

Wolf: ululare

Snake: sibilare

Wild ass: mugilare

Stag: rugire

Cow: mugire

Horse: hinnire

Donkey: rudere or oncare

Swine: grunnire

Boar, uncastrated pig: quiritare

Ram: blatterare

Ewe: balare

Goat: miccire

Kid: bebare

Dog: latrare or baubari

Fox: gannire

Puppy: glattire

Hare: vagire

Weasels: drindrare

Mouse: mintrire or pipitare

Shrew-mouse: desticare

Elephant: barrire

Frog: coaxare [brekekex co-ax co-ax]

Crow: crocitare

Eagle: clangere

Hawk: plipiare

Vulture: pulpare

Kite: lupire or lugere

Swan: drensare

Crane: gruere

Stork: crotolare

Goose: gliccire or sclingere

Duck: tetrissitare

Peacock: paupulare

Rooster: cucurrire or cantare [latter simply means 'to sing']

Jackdaw: fringulire

Night bird, owl: cuccubire

Cuckoo: cuculare

Blackbird: frendere or zinziare

Thrush: trucilare or soccitare

Starling: passitare

Swallow: finitinnire or minurrire

("However, they say that minurrire applies to all of the smallest little birds")

Hen: crispire

Sparrow: titiare

Bee: bombire or bombilare

Cicada: fritinnire

The Egyptian dog licks and runs.








Suet. fr. 161

De Naturis Animantium

Leonum est fremere uel rugire, tigridum rancare, pardorum felire, pantherarum caurire, ursorum uncare uel saeuire, aprorum frendere, lyncum urcare, luporum ululare, serpentium sibilare, onagrorum mugilare, ceruorum rugire, boum mugire, equorum hinnire, asinorum rudere uel oncare, porcorum grunnire, uerrium quiritare, arietum blatterare, ouium balare, hircorum miccire, haedorum bebare, canum latrare seu baubari, uulpium gannire, catulorum glattire, leporum uagire, mustelarum drindrare, murium mintrire uel pipitare, soricum desticare, elephantum barrire, ranarum coaxare, coruorum crocitare, aquilarum clangere, accipitrum plipiare, uulturum pulpare, miluorum lupire uel lugere, olorum drensare, gruum gruere, ciconiarum crotolare, anserum gliccire uel sclingere, anatum tetrissitare, pauonum paupulare, gallorum cucurrire uel cantare, graculorum fringulire, noctuarum cuccubire, cuculorum cuculare, merulorum frendere uel zinziare, turdorum trucilare uel soccitare, sturnorum passitare, hirundinum fintinnire uel minurrire - dicunt tamen quod minurrire est omnium minutissimarum auicularum - gallinae crispire, passerum titiare, apum bombire uel bombilare, cicadarum fritinnire. Canis Aegyptius lambit et fugit.