![]() The species ranges from endangered to critically endangered. Vultures are some of the most vulnerable large birds in Africa. A Committee, Venue, Wake or Kettle of Vultures They have great night vision and hearing. Hyenas are large in size and have short torsos with low, sloping backs. They are also the only, of the two, that have spots on all over their bodies. Spotted hyenas are the largest of the three. There are three types of hyenas: striped, spotted, and brown hyenas. The hyena is one of the most common large carnivores in Africa. They are often very noisy, especially when feeding. The term, “cackle” of hyena perfectly captures the sound and spirit of these animals. Zebras are sometimes referred to as a herd, but a more common collective noun for them is a dazzle of zebras. Zebras are said to use their stripes as camouflage when they’re in a large group to mislead predators by making it difficult to distinguish individual zebras from one another. They are referred to as “confusion” because they often appear disorientated, chaotic, and noisy when travelling together. In fact, every year, approximately two million wildebeests migrate around the Serengeti, and into the Masai Mara. Large concentrations of wildebeest can be found in southern Africa. A bloat would consist of one to two males among 10–20 females. Their main food source is grass, and they are able to store it for up to three weeks. Their stomachs are generally full because they feed often. A male hippo weighs approximately 8,000 lbs and is covered in fatty tissue that helps them float. This collective noun was coined in 1939, and it comes from the fact that hippopotamuses have big, bloated bellies. These ferocious aquatic reptiles are known for its powerful jaws and powerful and fatal ambush attacks. A group of crocodiles in water are called a float and when they are on land, are called a bask. A Float of CrocodileĬrocodiles are smart and social animals that use many different ways to communicate. Members of the same coalition spend a lot of time together. In some cases, a male may be a member of a coalition for the rest of his life.Ī non-related male may join a coalition from time to time, but he often has to deal with aggression from the other members. The fights usually don’t last very long, but are usually fatal. A coalition consists of two to three male cheetahs who stay together and fight other males for territory. Enjoy! A Coalition of CheetahĪ coalition is a group of male cheetahs. There are many more lesser-known collective nouns for wildlife in the African bush, which we’ve highlighted below. For example, a group of lions is called a “pride,” but did you know that a group of rhinos is called a “crash”? There are many which are specific to a species. While some collective nouns are quite general. Educating yourself on what the different collective nouns for animals are will increase your knowledge of wildlife, and help you identify different species in the bush. If you want to impress fellow travellers or your family on a game drive, now is the perfect opportunity to brush up on your knowledge of collective nouns for animals you are likely to encounter in the African bush.Ĭollective nouns describe the characteristics of a group of animals or people. Especially if you’re planning a family safari in wildlife-rich Southern Africa. So why are there so many? Where do they come from? How long can we keep finding them to boost our social media content? Read on to find out.An African safari is filled with exhilarating experiences. All our plural animal discoveries are kept in a big spreadsheet and we are now approaching 400 entries. It all began on 16 th November 2011 with a crash of rhinos (because rhinos are Emma’s favourite), and has continued every week for 7 years. #PAW was the brainchild of former Grant Museum Curatorial Assistant Emma Louise Nicholls. There are, however, an astonishing number of obscure and wonderful plural animal names, enough to keep us in tweets for years and years. ![]() These are the words used to describe groups of animals, you are probably familiar with a herd of sheep, a flock of birds and a swarm of insects. If you follow us on twitter you may have come across Plural Animal Wednesday (#PAW), our weekly tweet about collective animal nouns. This blog is about a centuries-old quirk of the English language that has become a Grant Museum tradition.
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