What Do You Call a Group of...

Tidbits Wonders, "What Do You Call a Group of...?"

There’s a certain vocabulary designated for the babies and groups of certain animal species. These collective nouns are officially known as “terms of venery” or “nouns of assembly.” You’re probably familiar with several of these names, but Tidbits has found some unusual terms for certain collectives you might never have even heard of. Some make logical sense, while others seem just plain weird, as you will see.

• When we think of the word “flock,” we typically think of birds, but did you know that a group of camels is also called a flock? These unusual animals can travel up to 100 miles without drinking water. The 80 pounds of fat stored in the camel’s hump is converted to water when needed. After a long period without water – sometimes up to weeks or even months – the camel will drink about 30 gallons of water to replenish itself.

• And speaking of flocks, not every group of birds is called a flock. Ornithologists tell us there are “unique and distinctive names” for many species of flying creatures. A group of crows is a murder or a muster, while a group of cranes is a sedge. Finches and hummingbirds gather in a charm, while hawks and falcons have three different labels – cast, cauldron, and kettle.

Charming isn't it? A group of hummingbirds, known as a charm, feeds on nectar in a person's hand.

• Buzzards form a wake, and eagles band together in a convocation. Magpies gather in a group known as a tiding, starlings are a murmuration, and an assemblage of nightingales is called a watch.

• Baby alligators are known as hatchlings or juveniles, measuring about 6 to 8 inches at birth. About 80% of young hatchlings will die as victims of predators such as birds, otters, snakes, bobcats, and raccoons. When they leave their mother at about three years of age, they’ll join a group known as a congregation.

• But don’t confuse the congregation with a bask or a float, which is not a group of alligators, but crocodiles. A bask of crocodiles are on the land while a float of crocs are in the water.

• A baby alpaca or llama is called a cria, which is the Spanish word for baby. A female alpaca is pregnant for nearly a year to produce a single cria.

• A coalition of cheetahs lives and hunts together for life. A coalition is frequently two or three brothers, and although they band together to claim a large area of land, they aren’t territorial. About 90% of cheetah cubs die within three months after birth, with predators killing 50%, and a poor immune system and disease taking out the remainder.

Together for life! A group of cheetahs is called a "coalition"; they live and hunt together for life.

• Who decided that a group of loons would be known as an asylum? Some birdwatchers call the group a water dance.

• Under the sea, you might encounter a flotilla of swordfish, a fever of stingrays, a risk of lobsters, a party of female dolphins, an alliance of male dolphins, or a turmoil of porpoises. Try to avoid the shiver of sharks and the battery of barracudas!

• While most jellyfish stings are not deadly, stay away from a smack of the ones that are, such as the sea wasp, which has a sting that can cause anaphylaxis and prove fatal.

A group of jellyfish is called a "smack". Steer clear of the pictured "Chironex fleckeri" - aka Sea Wasp Jellyfish - it's infamously known as the world's most lethal jellyfish!

• Porcupines are well-known for their sharp prickly quills that protect them against predators. So it’s no wonder a group of these large rodents is known as a prickle! Porcupines take their name from the Latin, meaning “quill pig.” The quills, or spines, are actually hairs coated with thick plates of the fibrous protein keratin. The quills of the African crested porcupine are nearly a foot long with barbed points The babies of these spiny creatures? They're called porcupettes!

• A whole lot of kangaroos form a mob or troop. You've probably heard the baby kangaroo is known as a joey, but did you know that the young offspring of koalas, opossums, and wombats are called that too?

A group of kangaroos is called a "mob", or a "troop".

• Some animals are known by different names depending on what they’re doing. For example, when penguins are gathered in the water they're called a raft. An assemblage of penguins on land can be a colony, a rookery, or a waddle. The group swims and hunts collectively to increase their chances of getting a meal.

• There’s also a special term for penguin chicks that stay together in a group – a crèche. A group of Emperor penguins that gathers together in cold temperatures to conserve body heat is known as a huddle.

• How about bringing politics into the animal world? Owls gathering together are known as a parliament, while a group of baboons are, perhaps appropriately, referred to as a congress!

A group of owls is known as a "parliament".

• When a group of geese is on the ground, we call it a gaggle, but if they’re in flight, they’re in a skein, unless, of course, they are in a V-formation, when they're known as a wedge.

• Baby cockroaches, cicadas, grasshoppers, and mosquitoes are all referred to as nymphs.

• In the reptile kingdom, if you come across a bunch of cobras together, you’ve seen a quiver. If it’s rattlesnakes you're seeing, that group is known as a rhumba. While we'd advise against it, you might also wander into a den, pit, bed, or knot of snakes.

This beautiful peacock displays his impressive plumage. A group of peacocks is known as an "ostentation".

• The dictionary definition of “ostentation” is “a vain show especially for the purpose of attracting attention and admiration.” That’s a pretty appropriate term for a group of peacocks with their elaborate iridescent blue and green plumage. Similarly, flamingos, with their flamboyant coloration ranging from pale pink to orange to crimson gather in a group fittingly known as a flamboyance.

• An assembly of giraffes is suitably referred to as a tower, since an adult giraffe might reach a height of 18.7 feet. And a group of zebras with their dazzling black and white coloring? They’re well-named as a dazzle!

• The word “surfeit” is defined as “an overabundant supply or excess” or an “extreme indulgence in something.” But the word also applies to a group of skunks, along with the more descriptive term 'stench.' Sometimes called polecats, the 11 species of skunks range in color from the familiar black and white to brown or cream-colored.

Mamma skunk with her litter; she calls it family, but others may call this group a "stench".

• A female skunk gives birth to a litter of two to ten kits, as the babies are called, with each weighing between 32 and 35 grams. The kits are born without coats, but since the pattern is in their skin pigmentation they are already striped at birth. It doesn’t take long for a skunk to develop its odoriferous trademark. The babies can already release their repugnant spray from their scent gland at just eight days old.

• How are these for apt descriptions: A group of spiders is called a skittering, while a whole lot of mice are described as a mischief. A bunch of apes is a shrewdness, while monkeys are a barrel; sharks are a shiver; leopards are a leap; parrots are a pandemonium; ravens an unkindness; squirrels are a scurry; tigers are an ambush, and rhinoceroses are a crash! 

So when someone asks, "What do you call a group of...?", you'll know the answer!