When you’re referring to a group of something, the most common way to denote this is to add an ‘S’ to the end of the word. Sometimes there are even slight changes to the word itself to denote more than one of the subject — like man to men and goose to geese. Although, sometimes the changes are strange. Sometimes, the word used to indicate a group of the original subject has seemingly no connection to the subject at all. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest animal group names.
Strangest Animal Group Names
1. Pride
The lion pride is perhaps the most well-known name for a group of something that has no reference to the original subject. Although, perhaps the connection we would make between a lion’s strength and the feeling of pride.
2. Sleuth (Sloth)
Bears are primarily solitary creatures. Therefore, the fact that somebody decided they needed a term for the group of them is strange enough. The official term is sleuth, but a group of bears is also sometimes called a sloth. Perhaps it is the gentle, easygoing way of bears we often see in nature videos that lent itself to groups being called sloth. But maybe sleuth is a nod to their extraordinary detective skills?
3. Storytelling
A murder is a widely known name for a group of crows to the delight of elementary schoolchildren everywhere. But did you know a group of crows is also known as a storytelling? We wonder if that term came about before or after Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic thriller The Birds….
4. Business
It’s hard to imagine these cute little guys up to anything but mischief and unbridled silliness. Although when you get more than one ferret together, it’s called a business. Whatever business is being conducted within a circle of ferrets: sign us up!
5. Bed
The word bed usually conjures up images of a cozy place. It’s warm and inviting and ideal for drifting off into a restful sleep… Yes, bed is a good word in our language. Except for when you’re referring to a group of eels, which is also called a bed. Not at all what you pictured when we first brought up “bed”— is it?
6. Implausibility
Gnu is a challenging enough word on its own for those that are new to it. The strange three-letter name is derived from the word used by the native tribe Khoikhoi of southwestern Africa, which stemmed from the sound of the animal’s call. But how a group of gnus came to be called an implausibility has an explanation we probably wouldn’t believe anyway.
7. Leash
The greyhound is one of the fastest dogs on the planet. Its powerful legs, flexible spine, and slim build allow it to reach speeds of up to 45 mph. That’s why we think it’s a little ironic that the animal group name for these speed demons is called a leash!
8. Charm
Given their diminutive size, beautiful and varied coloring, and their impressive hovering skills, we are not the least bit surprised that a group of hummingbirds is called a charm!
9. Gaze
The raccoon is an ubiquitous member of North American forests. An encounter — or at least a sighting — is highly likely for campers in these regions. If you’ve ever gotten up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and had a run-in with a group of raccoon scavenging through your trash, you can probably see why a group is called a gaze.
10. Dazzle
Zebras are some of the planet’s most alluring creatures. Their incredible markings seem highly conspicuous, yet camouflage them perfectly in their natural habitat. We have little doubt that their remarkable appearance is what led to the animal group name of zebras being called a dazzle.
Wrapping up our list of 10 strangest animal group names, we thought you’d also like: 5 Weird Creatures of the Animal Kingdom!
Featured Image from Antoine Plüss/Unsplash