Animal group names are a hoot. Here are some of my favorite official group names (Source: The Oxford Dictionary) organized into three unofficial categories:
So Appropriate (I mean, what else could they be called?)
- Cats – Pounce or Glaring (often both at the same time)
- Cockroaches – Intrusion (so appropriate)
- Flamingoes – Flamboyance (perfect–I mean, they’re basically just storks in drag)
- Giraffes – Tower (well, duh)
- Gnats – Cloud (what else?)
- Goldfish – Troubling (fortunately, guppies are excellent therapists)
Hippos – Bloat (“I’m lactose intolerant.”)- Jellyfish – Smack (well, yeah)
- Lizards – Lounge (“Another fly martini, please.”) ⇒
- Owls – Parliament (love those little mouse-fur wigs)
- Porcupines – Prickle (at the very least)
- Rhinos – Crash (Humvees of the animal world)
- Sharks – Shiver (“Dude, paddle for shore–now!”)
- Storks – Muster (because they couldn’t muster up the costumes to be flamingoes)
- Tigers – Ambush (not quite as scary as a shiver of sharks. Still…)
- Weasels – Sneak (frequently employed by tigers)
Awww, Just Awww!
Butterflies – Flutter- Chickens – Peep
- Ducks – Paddling
- Monkeys – Cartload (even more fun than a barrel)
- Otters – Romp (this one’s for my wife)
- Squirrels – Scurry
- Unicorns – Blessing
Seriously?
- Alligators – Congregation (“Good morning, please turn in your hymnals to #243, Shall We Gather at the River”)
- Apes – Shrewdness (um, kind of…?)
- Crows – Murder (the hitmen of the animal world)
- Emus – Mob (“An angry mob of emus gathered outside the Australian Parliament yesterday, shouting, ‘Stop those murdering crows!’”)
- Gnus – Implausibility (indeed)
- Rattlesnakes – Rhumba (what people do when they see a group of rattlesnakes)
- Ravens – Conspiracy (they’ll plot against you, and then send a murder of crows to finish the job)
- Seals – Harem (“Welcome to my tent, my dear, please, take off your veil. Arf! Arf!”)
- Toads – Knot (ew, just ew)
- Wombats – Wisdom (like apes, only a little more trustworthy)
A delightful interlude, thanks!
My pleasure, Joy!
Love them. A group of puffins is called a circus!
Perfect!
My favourite is a pandemonium of parrots. 😁
;>) So approppo.
😂
Fabulous!
Down here in Tampa we all know you have a fever of Ray. So if they could just win the world series, the town would be at a fever pitch!
;>)
I just love the comments 😄
Thanks, Michael!
You’re welcome Mitch.
A flock of hummingbirds is a glitter.
Love it. Though I think I might have called them a “hum.”
The back story on some of these would make interesting reading. For example, who came up with an implausibility of gnus?! Perhaps Mark Twain or Ogden Nash.
Great point, Nancy!
What did I go to college for? I never heard of ANY of these!
I know, right!
So, are you saying a group of animal group names is called a hoot? I used “scurry” recently, but had to look it up first. Thanks for this handy guide.
Uh, yeah, I guess I am, Todd. ;>)
Now I’ll know what word to use the next time I see a group of unicorns. Thanks!
I don’t get the wombats one either!
A lounge of lizards? Seriously? 😆
Too funny and yes, perfect!
I love all animals really. Hate snakes tho with everything in me!
Nice article Mitch!
Very cool ideas indeed.
Haha that is apt for cockroaches
And I didn’t know that for cats- I love that!! This is a great list!
Thanks!
Hilarious! Great fun, Mitch – thank you. 🙂
My pleasure, Lisa!
You overlooked the Congress of Baboons.🤠
I have political differences with them. ;>)
I love these. I remember a parliament of owls from one of the Chronicles of Narnia. (Was it “The Silver Chair”?)
Yes! Classic Lewis wit.
My favorite was the alligators and meeting at the river. That gave me a good laugh.
;>)
Emus are a MOB lol and Rattlesnakes a RHUMBA I never knew this fun little fact. Loved this post with all its fun facts.
Thanks Mitch, I had come across some of these and one of my favourites is a murmuration of starlings…out of these despite my fear of snakes is a Rhumba so appropriate.. enjoy your weekend. I will share a link in my blogger weekly on Sunday.
Great. And good to meet you!
You too.
Entertaining and educational! I’m still smiling. 😊
“A lounge of lizards” 😂😂😂
Mitch,
Creative and sometimes fitting. That many of one kind gets funny anyway. Dragons a calamity, LOTR.
Thanks, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
An infestation of humans … LOL
;>)
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Those are great! An intrusion of cockroaches sounds so accurate, but a congregation of alligators just boggles the mind….I would imagine they have a hard time retaining pastoral leadership!
This is so funny.
When teaching our African animal topic at school, I made a whole list of collective animal names. Funny how so many were appropriate to the animal; like ‘Crash of Rhinos’.
Amazing! I must check the names in Spanish as well.
Great list, Pete, and I had to chuckle at your commentary. Lol.
Oh, sorry, Mitch. Lol. Great post and lots of fun.
I’ve been called far worse things than Pete. ;>)
LOL. Me too.
Very delightful. Thanks for sharing, Mitch! Best wishes, Michael
Thanks, Michael!