Animals

1. כלב

   kelev

   Dog

   Usage

   "Kelev nashakh oti" means "a dog bit me". Tel Aviv is known for having one of the highest dog-per-person ratios anywhere, and cafés generally welcome them

2. חתול

   khatul

   Cat

   Usage

   Israel's streets are full of cats, around the bins and in the markets. If you are allergic, say "yesh li alergya la-khatulim"

3. ציפור

   tsipor

   Bird

   Usage

   The general word. Israel sits on the migration corridor between Europe and Africa, and in spring and autumn tens of thousands of cranes gather in the Hula Valley

4. דג

   dag

   Fish

   Usage

   The same word covers the animal and the dish. "Dag amnun", tilapia, is the speciality around the Sea of Galilee, and Eilat's Red Sea reefs teem with fish

5. סוס

   sus

   Horse

   Usage

   Horse riding is "rekhiva al susim", and there are riding ranches in the Golan and Galilee

6. גמל

   gamal

   Camel

   Usage

   Bedouin camps in the Negev offer camel treks ("tiyul gmalim"). They rise abruptly, so find your handhold first

7. חמור

   khamor

   Donkey

   Usage

   Still carrying loads in villages and desert settlements. Aimed at a person it becomes an insult, so keep it to the animal

8. פרה

   para

   Cow

   Usage

   A common sight on the Golan pastures. Beef is "bsar bakar"

9. כבש

   keves

   Sheep

   Usage

   You will meet Bedouin flocks in the Negev and the Judean desert. Lamb, "bsar keves", is standard in shawarma and kebab

10. עז

    ez

    Goat

    Usage

    Widely kept because it copes with dry ground. Goat cheese, "gvinat izim", from the small Galilee dairies is prized

11. תרנגולת

    tarnegolet

    Chicken / hen

    Usage

    The hen as an animal. On a menu the meat is a different word, "of" (עוף), so use that when ordering

12. תרנגול

    tarnegol

    Rooster

    Usage

    On a kibbutz or in a village guesthouse it will wake you at dawn

13. ברווז

    barvaz

    Duck

    Usage

    Seen on park ponds and in the Hula Valley wetlands

14. יונה

    yona

    Pigeon / dove

    Usage

    They flock in squares and old quarters. The same word is also a woman's given name

15. שועל

    shu'al

    Fox

    Usage

    Widespread from the desert to the edges of towns, usually seen at dusk. Do not feed them

16. תן

    tan

    Jackal

    Usage

    Found all over Israel, and their eerie howling is a standard part of the night. They come to the smell of food at campsites, so seal everything. They rarely go for people, but they carry rabies — keep your distance

17. יעל

    ya'el

    Ibex

    Usage

    The wild goat with the great curved horns that appears in herds at Ein Gedi and Mitzpe Ramon. They are used to people and come close, but feeding them is against the law. The same word is also a woman's name

18. שפן סלע

    shafan sela

    Rock hyrax

    Usage

    Literally "rock rabbit" — the stout little animals sunbathing on the rocks at Ein Gedi and in the Golan. Despite appearances they are distant relatives of the elephant. They bite, so do not handle them

19. צבי

    tsvi

    Gazelle

    Usage

    Lives in open country and hill scrub. Jerusalem has a reserve called "Emek ha-Tsva'im", the Valley of the Gazelles, which makes it a rare city where you can watch them within the built-up area

20. חזיר בר

    khazir bar

    Wild boar

    Usage

    Common in the Golan, Galilee woodland and around Mount Carmel in Haifa, where they wander into residential streets. Keep away from a sow with young

21. דרבן

    darban

    Porcupine

    Usage

    Nocturnal and widespread from the desert to the hills. People often pick up a shed quill as a souvenir, but keep away from a live one

22. ארנב

    arnav

    Rabbit / hare

    Usage

    Found in fields and semi-desert. Many people use "shafan" loosely for "rabbit", though zoologically it is a different animal

23. עכבר

    akhbar

    Mouse

    Usage

    Report one at reception: "yesh akhbar ba-kheder". The larger brown rat is "khulda" (חולדה)

24. עטלף

    atalef

    Bat

    Usage

    Out at dusk around parks and ruins; the fruit bats gather in the street figs. If one bites you, see a doctor — rabies is a real risk

25. נחש

    nakhash

    Snake

    Usage

    Sheltering in ruined walls and on dry slopes. A venomous one is "nakhash arsi", the most dangerous being the Palestine viper ("tsefa"). If bitten, stay still and call 101

26. לטאה

    leta'a

    Lizard

    Usage

    Common on sunny walls and archaeological sites, and harmless — no need to shoo them away

27. שממית

    shmamit

    Gecko

    Usage

    On guesthouse walls and ceilings after dark. They eat the insects, so leave them be

28. עקרב

    akrav

    Scorpion

    Usage

    The thing to watch for camping in the Negev or by the Dead Sea, the yellow ones ("akrav tsahov") most of all. Shake out shoes and sleeping bags before use, and call 101 at once if stung

29. עכביש

    akavish

    Spider

    Usage

    House spiders are essentially harmless, and the desert camel spider looks alarming but has no venom

30. יתוש

    yatush

    Mosquito

    Usage

    Worst on the summer coast and around the water in Galilee. Repellent is "dokhe yatushim"; "yesh yatushim ba-kheder" reports mosquitoes in the room

31. זבוב

    zvuv

    Fly

    Usage

    A nuisance at outdoor eateries and in markets — at sweet and fruit stalls, check the goods are covered

32. דבורה

    dvora

    Bee

    Usage

    If you are allergic, say "yesh li alergya la-akitsot dvorim". Honey is "dvash", from the same root, and the word is also a woman's name

33. צרעה

    tsir'a

    Wasp / hornet

    Usage

    The worst pest at late-summer outdoor meals. Swatting invites a sting, so stay still — and check inside your glass before drinking

34. נמלה

    nemala

    Ant

    Usage

    Report them if they appear in the room or kitchenette, and keep food covered

35. תיקן

    tikan

    Cockroach

    Usage

    Grounds for asking to change rooms: "yesh tikan ba-kheder, efshar lehakhlif kheder?". In everyday speech people overwhelmingly say "juk" (ג'וק), from Russian

36. צב

    tsav

    Turtle / tortoise

    Usage

    Tortoises live in scrub and hill country. Loggerhead turtles nest on the Mediterranean coast, so some beaches are closed at night in summer

37. מדוזה

    meduza

    Jellyfish

    Usage

    Great swarms arrive on the Mediterranean coast around July every year — the news calls it "onat ha-meduzot", jellyfish season, and many people simply stay out of the water. If stung, tell the lifeguard "meduza aktsa oti"

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