Some even blur the line between individual and group, while others limit their social time to mating season. Naming a group of martens as a “richness” or starlings as a “murmuration” shows an appreciation and respect for these animals. Even when the names are less flattering, such as an “obstinacy of buffalo” or an “unkindness of ravens,” they still reflect a recognition and respect for the animals that share our world. On land, a coterie of prairie dogs pops up on an unsuspecting nest of rabbits, a gaze of raccoons, a scurry of squirrels and a building of rooks. A rhumba of rattlesnakes shake their tails as a crash of rhinoceroses and a congress of salamanders pass too close, and a cluster of spiders hide in response.
Gam is a possible derivative of the word “gammon,” meaning talk intended to deceive. Considering scientists have only just recently begun thinking they could decipher whale calls, we’d say the gam’s gammon is pretty effective. And just like in human mobs, there’s usually a leader (a “boomer,” or adult male) who is only in power for a short while before being challenged and defeated by a rival boomer. The Book of Saint Albans gave ferrets the collective term busyness (“besynes”), which today has become “business.”
From a Band of Gorillas to a Parliament of Owls
Here, we’ve compiled a detailed list of animal group names, categorized for easy reference. Whether you’re looking for commonly known terms or unusual and humorous ones, we’ve got you covered. Sometimes you look at a group of animals, and you’re not really sure what to refer to them as collectively.
However, I’ve never seen a leash on a fox, but a group of foxes is called a leash. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. At the very least, swimming with a fever of stingrays would surely cause your blood pressure to rise. When herons pick a new lake or river to rest at, the fish there would certainly feel under siege. A salmon run isn’t just the mass migration of salmon up the river—a run of salmon is amxonline also the name of a grouping of the fish.
Names for Groups of Fish & Sea Creatures
While you are within your rights to refer to them as “a bunch of guys,” animal species all have their own collective group names. While there isn’t an official committee that says it’s a murder of crows or a crash of rhinos, it’s still worth knowing these different animal group names for your writing and personal knowledge. Olivia Reed is a passionate animal enthusiast and naming expert with years of experience curating creative and meaningful names for pets, exotic animals, and fictional creatures. As the founder of Animal Nicknames, she specializes in providing unique and engaging name ideas tailored to different species, personalities, and themes.
A skein is used specifically when geese (or other wild birds) are flying, while the alliterative gaggle is the term for grounded or domestic geese. While pack is definitely the better-known term today, a very old term for wolves is rout, a word that ultimately came from the Middle French for company. This term has around since the late 1400s—at the time, shrewdness referred to the mischievous nature of apes, though knowing now how intelligent they are, the term still works. Nobody likes a know-it-all, especially when you’re not actually 100% right.
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- According to the Oxford English Dictionary, many aquatic animals, such as ducks or puffins, also form rafts.
- They’re more commonly called a herd, but a zeal or dazzle of zebras has such a nice ring to it.
- And with that comes plenty of collective nouns for each of those exoskeletal creatures, from armies to clouds.
A sloth or sleuth of bears
Some estimates suggest that there are 1.4 billion insects for every single human on the planet. And with that comes plenty of collective nouns for each of those exoskeletal creatures, from armies to clouds. Birds — most of them can fly, some of them can’t, but they’re all noted for their feathers, beaks, and laying of eggs. As with mammals, birds come in all forms, leading to a delightfully poetic sampling of collective nouns, from convocations to murders. While less commonly known, reptiles and amphibians also have distinctive collective nouns. But did you know that a gathering of flamingos is a flamboyance or that a group of owls is a parliament?
Animal Name Collections
That eventually expanded to include creatures that weren’t hunted (like bugs), and usage that spread beyond just hunters. Over 70 percent of the world is covered in water, so you can imagine that it’s home to a ton of different species. Not all of those creatures are particularly social or hang out in groups, but for those that do, you’re treated to schools and fevers. So a murder of crows is one of the coolest (or at least memorable) animal group names.
Olivia’s work is backed by extensive research into animal behavior, folklore, and popular culture, ensuring pet owners find the perfect name for their beloved companions. The etymology of why we call groups of animals a particular noun truly derives from humans’ instinctive nature to categorize and compartmentalize identifiers in their brain. For this reason, collective nouns were created to describe particular animal groups. Some of these collective nouns are more common than others — but they’re all incredibly interesting nonetheless. We hope you’ll find this list compelling and helpful — and maybe even feel inspired to get involved and make a difference for animals. Dogs can either be identified as a litter of puppies, a pack of wild dogs, or a cowardice of curs while donkeys travel in groups known as paces.
A gam, pod, or herd of whales
But its origin is likely an allusion to Chaucer’s poem “The Parliament of Fowls,” alongside the use of parliament as a collective noun for rooks. The less morbid terms kettle and committee are reserved for groups that are flying and resting in trees, respectively. For animals with multiple potential group names, we’ve bolded the most common that you might encounter.
An unkindness of ravens
- Not all of those creatures are particularly social or hang out in groups, but for those that do, you’re treated to schools and fevers.
- Sometimes you look at a group of animals, and you’re not really sure what to refer to them as collectively.
- Since tigers tend to be solitary creatures, a grouping of them would certainly feel like an ambush.
- Elsewhere in the jungle, a conspiracy of lemurs leisurely hangs amongst the vines as a leap of leopards (or lizards, as the term fits both) and a pride of lions circle the group below.
- Prior to that, you were just as likely to refer to them as a group, herd, or pack.
Aquatic creatures often have group names tied to their movement and habitat. Elsewhere in the jungle, a conspiracy of lemurs leisurely hangs amongst the vines as a leap of leopards (or lizards, as the term fits both) and a pride of lions circle the group below. Meanwhile, a mischief of mice and labor of moles fights for control over a hollowed out tree stump they both want to call home while a barrel of monkeys hoots and holler at a passing barren of mules.
This isn’t a reference to any detective work bears may or may not do—it’s derived from the Old English word for sloth, meaning slow (and sloth itself is sometimes used as a collective noun as well). Each mammal species has a unique collective noun, often reflecting its behavior or characteristics. Whether it’s an unkindness of ravens or a cete of badgers, the animal kingdom is rich with clever and creative names for groupings of animals. No evidence suggests that fish are particularly studious, so why is it a school of fish? School here comes from schōle, the Dutch word referring to “a group, troop, or band.” That’s also where you get the word shoal, an alternate collective noun for fish. Safety in numbers is one reason since a pack of prey is less vulnerable to attack by predators, but many animals also rely on collective wisdom to help them make better decisions.
They’re more commonly called a swarm, but a scourge sounds just as accurate. The term shiver applies a bit more to nervous humans when they see a large group of sharks, which is perhaps why the term has caught on in recent years. While they can also group as a flock or a bevy, a covey of quail sounds much more poetic.