Sunday, January 21, 2018

A Bunch Of Alligators Is Called What?

I was watching a quiz show on television (probably Jeopardy) and one of the questions referred to the collective group name for a bunch of crows. My first thought was that I knew the answer…a murder of crows. My second thought had to do with why a bunch of crows would be referred to as a murder of crows rather than a flock of birds.

We've all used the commonly known term of herd when referring to a bunch of cattle or horses or buffalo. Different groups of animals are collectively referred to by specific designations. And many of those collective group names make us scratch our heads and wonder who called them that and why.

So, my curiosity got to me and I did a little digging into collective group names for various animals.

Here's some that I found particularly interesting…and strange.

Alligators? They congregate in a congregation. However, crocodiles group together in a bask or a float. And rattlesnakes are a rhumba.

Barracudas are referred to as a battery (seems more appropriate for a group of electric eels). Jellyfish group together in a smack. And sharks form into a shiver (a name that seems very appropriate and properly descriptive).

Buzzards bunch into a wake. Eagles form a convocation or an aerie. A group of owls is a parliament or a stare. Ravens form an unkindness or a storytelling (shades of Edgar Allen Poe). And swallows give us a flight or gulp (which seems to fit with swallow).

Cats…as a general collective they can be a clowder or clutter or pounce or dout or nuisance or glorying or a glare. Wild cats specifically form into a destruction.

Giraffes group into a tower (seems very appropriate).

Gnus are an implausibility (seems only right for an animal that starts with a silent letter).

Porcupines come in a prickle (again, an appropriately named collective).

Wolves, in general, group into a pack. However, if the wolves are moving they are known as a route or rout.

Zebras are known as a zeal or crossing or dazzle or cohorts in addition to the traditional herd.

And in the rodent community…we have ferrets grouped into a business. Squirrels are known as a dray or scurry.

But what about people, you might be asking. Well, here's a suggestion that I came across that might be appropriate:  a nag of wives and a jerk of husbands.  :)

16 comments:

JENNIFER WILCK said...

Cool! I wonder who came up with these.

Ashantay said...

Fun post! Thanks!

Mary Gillgannon said...

I love this topic. There is a delightful book out called A Charm of Goldfinches. It lists some of the names of other animal and bird groups and illustrates them with charming pictures. Really fun. One of my favorites is a crash of hippos.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Some of these I'd never heard of which brings to mind who named them? Fun post.

Barbara Edwards said...

Love the list.
I kept saying I didn't know that.

Samantha Gentry said...

Jennifer: Me, too...who thought up those names, some of them very weird.

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

Ashantay: Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

Mary: A crash of hippos...love that! It actually conjures up an image of a bunch of hippos charging down the road and crashing into something.

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

Vicki: Can't you just visualize a group of people sitting around trying to figure out the best name for a group of specific animals? And the person who came up with the most unusual name was the winner? :)

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

Barbara: Some of those are so strange that you couldn't logically guess them.

Thanks for your comment.

M. S. Spencer said...

Learned to my discomfort that a large group of jellyfish is called a fever.

CB Clark said...

Thanks, Samantha. You always have the most interesting pots. I enjoyed this one.

Stacy Gold said...

Two of my favorites have long been a skulk of foxes and a charm of hummingbirds. :-) Thanks for sharing all these others!

Samantha Gentry said...

M.S.: That definitely sounds like an unpleasant experience.

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

C.B.: Glad you enjoyed this one.

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

Stacy: A charm of hummingbirds...love the sound of that.

Thanks for your comment.