Mammals
From prides of lions to pods of whales, discover the traditional and whimsical collective nouns for mammals.
A Herd of Boars
A group of boars is commonly known as a herd. What Does “A Herd of Boars” Mean? “Herd” is the broad, general-purpose term applied to wild boar groups, standing in for the more specific and far more commonly cited “sounder.” Wild boars are genuinely social animals, with females and their young forming the core of … Read more
A Sounder of Boars
A group of boars is traditionally known as a sounder. What Does “A Sounder of Boars” Mean? “Sounder” is the classic, most historically documented collective noun for wild boars, tracing back to Middle English hunting terminology and appearing in medieval word lists alongside other now-famous group terms like “murder” of crows and “parliament” of owls. … Read more
A Herd of Caribou
A group of caribou is known as a herd. What Does “A Herd of Caribou” Mean? “Herd” is the standard, straightforward collective noun for caribou (the North American name for reindeer), and it fits an animal famous for forming some of the largest land-mammal gatherings on Earth. Certain caribou herds, like the Western Arctic or … Read more
A Destruction of Wildcats
A group of wildcats is, in old hunting tradition, known as a destruction. What Does “A Destruction of Wildcats” Mean? “Destruction” is one of the more theatrical entries in the long tradition of English collective nouns, and like many of the strangest ones, it traces back to medieval hunting terminology, specifically the kind of vivid, … Read more
A Rag of Colts
A group of colts is, in old English tradition, called a rag. What Does “A Rag of Colts” Mean? “Rag” is one of several old, lesser-known collective nouns applied to young horses, and colts in particular, though a clear, verifiable origin for the word in this context is hard to pin down. It shows up … Read more
A Bevy of Roe Deer
A group of roe deer is known as a bevy. What Does “A Bevy of Roe Deer” Mean? “Bevy” is a term most people associate with birds, quail in particular, but it also appears in older English hunting and nature word lists as a collective noun for roe deer, a small deer species native to … Read more
A Herd of Eland
A group of eland is known as a herd. What Does “A Herd of Eland” Mean? “Herd” is the standard collective noun for eland, Africa’s largest antelope species, and a fittingly simple word for an animal that can weigh close to a ton yet still moves with the same general social structure as much smaller … Read more
A Herd of Gnus
A group of gnus is known as a herd. What Does “A Herd of Gnus” Mean? “Herd” is the standard, no-frills collective noun for gnus, more widely known as wildebeest, and it accurately describes an animal famous for forming some of the largest and most dramatic herds in the natural world. The annual Great Migration … Read more