Okay so this is kinda embarrassing but last week my kid asked me what you call a group of elephants and I totally blanked. Like completely. I said “uhh… a herd?” but honestly I wasn’t even sure about that. So naturally I went down a rabbit hole on Google (as you do) and turns out … Read more
Okay, so here’s something that happened to me last spring that got me totally obsessed with this question. I was hiking near Yellowstone with my cousin Jake (who thinks he knows everything about birds, by the way), and we spotted this huge cluster of black birds just… hanging out on some dead tree branches. “Look … Read more
My nephew Jake asked me this question last weekend while we were feeding ducks at Miller Park. Kid’s only 8 but he stumps me with stuff like this all the time. “Uncle Mike, what do you call it when there’s a whole bunch of ducks together?” And I’m standing there with a bag of breadcrumbs … Read more
Okay so I was watching this nature documentary the other day and my kid goes “Mom, what do you call those lions all together like that?” Good question, right? I mean, we know a group of birds is a flock, fish swim in schools, but lions? Most people will tell you it’s a “pride.” And … Read more
Okay so my kid asked me this last week and I totally bombed the answer. She’s like “Dad, what do you call a bunch of bats?” and I’m standing there like an idiot going “uhhhh… a group?” She gave me that look. You know the one. The “seriously dad?” look that makes you feel about … Read more
So there I was, coffee in hand, watching deer wander through my backyard at dawn. My daughter runs up asking what we call them when they’re together like that. “A herd,” I said automatically. But man, was I wrong about how simple this question really is. What is a group of deer called? Turns out, … Read more
My daughter asked me this question during our first snorkeling trip in Hawaii last year. We were floating above this massive group of yellow tangs when she popped her head up and asked, “Dad, what do you call all these fish together?” I confidently said “school” without hesitation. Turns out I was only half right, … Read more
My 8-year-old nephew asked me this question last summer while we watched ants demolish a dropped ice cream cone on his driveway. “Uncle Mike, what do you call all these ants together?” Good question, kid. Turns out I’d been getting it wrong for years. Most people say “colony” without thinking twice. And yeah, that’s usually … Read more
Ever been driving down a country road when suddenly a bunch of turkeys decide to cross right in front of your car? Or maybe you’ve watched them strutting around your backyard, wondering what on earth you should call that gathering of feathered friends? You’re definitely not the first person to scratch your head over this … Read more
Ever watched a nature documentary and wondered what to call that bunch of monkeys swinging through the trees? You’re definitely not the first person to ask this question. Animal group names can be pretty confusing, and monkeys have some particularly interesting ones. The most common name for a group of monkeys is a “troop,” but … Read more
