![]() Meanwhile, the more traditional collective noun for sharks is a ‘shoal’. You could refer to a ‘frenzy of sharks’ when they are particularly fierce. There are a few other collective nouns that are also used to describe sharks. This is observed prominently in South India every October-November when butterflies migrate from the Eastern Ghats towards the Western Ghats.Ī shiver is what runs down your spine when you think of being surrounded by multiple sharks! So it’s only fitting that a group of sharks is called a shiver. Many species of butterfly fly hundreds of kilometres in large swarms (or should we say kaleidoscopes?) during migration season. Can you imagine being surrounded by so many butterflies that it feels like being inside a kaleidoscope? Well, it can actually be possible. Although it is not exactly known why the word murder is used to describe a group of crows, The OED suggests it could be due to “the crow’s traditional association with violent death” or its “harsh and raucous cry.”Ĭould there be a more apt collective noun to describe the most colourful insect? A kaleidoscope is a toy made of mirrors that displays a range of colourful, symmetric patterns. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the usage of the word has been around since the 15th century. Perhaps that’s where the expression ‘a murder of crows’ comes from. In many cultures, they are seen as messengers of death. In Hindu myth, it is the ‘vahana’ (or vehicle) of the goddess Lakshmi.Ĭrows are often associated with dark omens. It was the symbol of the goddess Athena in Greek mythology. The Owl has been associated with wisdom for thousands of years now. ![]() Have you heard of the simile, “as wise as an owl”? If you have, you will be amused to know that the collective noun for a group of owls is a ‘parliament’. The hyena’s fascinating laughter is actually a mixture of complicated vocalisations, including yelps, cackles, grunts and whines that they used to communicate with each other. The Spotted Hyena, also commonly called the laughing hyena, is notorious for making sounds that resemble human laughter. So what would you say if you saw a charge of rhinos charging at you?Ī group of hyenas is called a cackle. They tend to charge ferociously at any foreign presence, but sometimes this could also just be an unfamiliar rock or a tree! Rhinos have weak eyesight and rely on their sense of smell and hearing to detect intruders. ![]() It’s only fitting considering the fact that rhinos are famous for charging at unfamiliar things. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? But wait, wouldn’t it make more sense if the insect was called a ‘flutter-by’ and not a butterfly?įind answers to all these amusing questions and more in this curious list of collective nouns for animals!Ī group of rhinoceroses is called a charge. But have you ever wondered what a group of butterflies is called? Is it a swarm of butterflies, or is that just for bees and other insects that go “bzzz”? Perhaps a flutter of butterflies. You might have heard of expressions like a herd of cows, a pride of lions and a school of fish. In English, we use collective nouns to do this. One of the more interesting ways in which we employ language is to describe groups of similar things. To describe these fascinating beasts, our language has adopted equally interesting ways. We are surrounded by a world full of strange and wonderful animals. ![]()
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