Excuse Me, What Do You Call a Group of Fish?
- Dec 29, 2024
- 5 min read
One might say it's as useful as a third shoulder—but it sure is entertaining!
To all my fellow non-native speakers 😎:
When I first moved from Germany to America, I thought the biggest challenge would be mastering idioms. I mean, "Let's play it by ear"? Um, what? There was no music involved in that context ...
Little did I know, English had even wilder treasures waiting for me—like one of the most entertaining rabbit holes I’ve ever stumbled into: animal group names.
Now, let’s be honest: Is this knowledge as important as, say, a third shoulder? Probably not. But unlike that hypothetical shoulder, it’s a whole lot more amusing.
So, if you’re already rolling your eyes, feel free to abort this mission. But if you’re up for a laugh and some delightful new knowledge, buckle up!
Trust me, there’s nothing quite like learning that a group of crows is called a murder or that owls hold a parliament to make you rethink everything you thought you knew about English.
Animal Group Names You Never Knew You Needed:
School of fish: 🎓🐟 A class where fish learn to swim in sync.
Pod of dolphins: 🌊🐬 A playful bunch that loves to put on a show.
Murder of crows: 🕵️♂️🐦 A dramatic gathering that’s straight out of a mystery novel.
Pride of lions: 👑🦁 The royal family of the animal kingdom, always majestic.
Parliament of owls: 🦉📜 A wise assembly that debates in hoots and head tilts.
Clowder of cats: 🐾🐱 A fancy term for your purring, plotting feline friends.
Skulk of foxes: 🦊🎩 A sneaky, mysterious crew always up to something clever.
Flock of birds: 🕊️💃 A feathery flash mob, swooping through the skies with unmatched choreography.
Pack of dogs: 🐕🚨 The neighborhood’s rowdy but lovable security team, always on patrol.
Nest of snakes: 🐍🌀 A tangle of troublemakers, plotting their next hiss-terious escape.
Army of frogs: 🐸🎖️ Amphibian commandos, leaping into action one ribbit at a time.
Cluster of spiders: 🕷️🛠️ A stealthy web-development team that really knows how to stick together.
Litter of kittens: 🐾😻 Tiny, fluffy chaos agents born to steal hearts and knock over potted plants.
Parliament of rooks: 🪶🖤 The goth aristocrats of the bird world, holding their secret councils.
Mischief of rats: 🐀🧀 The ultimate brainstorming group, constantly plotting cheese heists.
Bask of crocodiles: 🐊☀️ Lazing lizards who know that sunbathing is both an art and a science.
Rhumba of rattlesnakes: 🐍🎶 The desert’s most rhythmic dancers, shaking their rattles in style.
Business of ferrets: 🐾📈 Tiny CEOs darting around the office, making important decisions (mostly about naps).
Bloat of hippopotami: 🦛💦 Water-loving body positivity icons, owning their size with grace.
Cete of badgers: 🦡🔦 Underground renegades who live by their own rules (and have great tunnel systems).
Troop of kangaroos: 🦘🥊 The bouncy squad that’s always ready for a boxing match or a road trip.
Den of snakes: 🐍🤝 A slithery think tank, exchanging hiss-terical ideas and conspiracies.
Horde of hamsters: 🐹⚙️ A fluffy mob, always spinning their wheels in the pursuit of snacks.
Crash of rhinos: 🦏 A heavyweight squad charging through life with unstoppable momentum.
Waddle of penguins: 🐧 A tuxedoed parade, strutting their stuff across icy runways.
Prickle of porcupines: 🦔 A spiky crew that takes personal space very seriously.
Charm of hummingbirds: 🌸🐦 Nature’s tiniest acrobats dazzling us with their aerial show.
Shiver of sharks: 🦈 A cold-blooded council slicing through the ocean in silence.
Leap of leopards: 🐆 A spot-covered team always ready to pounce into action.
Tower of giraffes: 🦒 A high-rise gathering that sees the world from a different perspective.
Cackle of hyenas: 😂🐾 The ultimate comedy troupe, always laughing at their own jokes.
Convocation of eagles: 🦅🎓 The most majestic board meeting nature has ever hosted.
Flamboyance of flamingos: 🦩✨ A fabulous pink posse strutting their stuff with style.
Huddle of walruses: 🦭❄️ A blubbery gathering, perfecting the art of the cozy group hug.
Bed of oysters: 🦪🌊 A low-key collective, always lying down on the job.
Gaze of raccoons: 🦝👀 The night shift's most curious crew, constantly peeking into your trash.
Parade of elephants: 🐘🎉 The grandest marchers, making every appearance an event.
Mob of kangaroos: 🦘💥 A bouncy gang, ready to hop into action at a moment's notice.
Swoop of bats: 🦇🌌 Nature’s nighttime aviators, soaring through the moonlit skies.
Puddle of platypuses: 🦤🌊 A quirky crew, splashing around and defying all rules of biology.
Parade of peacocks: 🦚✨ The ultimate runway models, flaunting feathers with flair.
Herd of unicorns: 🦄🌈 A magical gathering that exists mostly in our imagination.
Raft of otters: 🦦🛶 The cutest flotilla, always holding hands while they float.
Clash of bucks: 🦌⚔️ Antlered warriors, locking horns in epic battles of dominance.
Wisdom of wombats: 🐾📚 Earth’s low-key philosophers, pondering life in their burrows.
Pandemonium of parrots: 🦜🎉 A riot of color and noise, bringing chaos wherever they go.
Drift of pigs: 🐖🍂 A laid-back squad, contentedly rooting around for snacks.
Sounder of boars: 🐗🎶 A rugged choir of grunts and squeals in perfect harmony.
Riot of butterflies: 🦋🌺 A kaleidoscope of winged beauty, fluttering into chaos.
These whimsical collective nouns, like "a murder of crows" or "a parliament of owls," are the linguistic love letters of the Middle Ages. They first strutted onto the scene in 1486 via the "Book of Saint Albans," a medieval guide to hunting, heraldry, and how to be fancy.
Written by Juliana Barnes, a nun who clearly had a flair for the dramatic, these terms weren’t just words—they were status symbols for aristocrats flexing their vocab during a hunt.
The genius of these names lies in their uncanny ability to capture the vibe of the animals:
"A parliament of owls"—wise, regal, probably wearing tiny monocles.
"A murder of crows"—dark, moody, straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy.
"A clowder of cats"—chaos incarnate, plotting world domination from under the couch.
Though most people don’t casually say, “Oh look, a skulk of foxes!” anymore, these terms live on as little linguistic gems, proof that even centuries ago, people loved turning animals into poetry. It’s useless knowledge—but the fun kind of useless, like knowing how to juggle flamingos. 🦩
Now over to you:
Who’s got another gem up their sleeve? 🧐 I’m ready to fill every last gap in my knowledge with your discoveries. I’m excited to see what you’ve got!
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