What Does “A Crash of Hippopotamuses” Mean?
“Crash” is best known as the standard collective noun for rhinoceroses, and its use for hippopotamuses is a secondary, less common borrowing rather than the animal’s primary term — that title belongs to “bloat,” which more directly reflects the hippo’s massive, barrel-shaped bulk. Still, “crash” isn’t a bad fit: hippos are aggressive, territorial, and among the most dangerous large mammals in Africa, capable of sudden, forceful charges both on land and in water.
The overlap between hippos and rhinos likely comes down to their shared reputation as two of the heaviest, most physically imposing land mammals alive, an association of raw mass and force that “crash” captures for both animals even though it started as a rhino-specific term.
Example: “A crash of hippopotamuses submerged almost entirely, only their eyes and nostrils breaking the surface of the river.”
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals · What Is a Group of Hippopotamuses Called? · A Bloat of Hippopotamuses · What Is a Group of Rhinoceroses Called? · What Animals Form a Crash?