Whales travel in “pods.” Also, in “schools.” And, “gams,” which, actually, you never hear. They’re animal group shots from some time ago, shot with less-sophisticated equipment. These aren’t my best photos technically – somewhat grainy and noisy. As mentioned, a gathering of manta rays, spotted rays or stingrays is a “fever.”Ī “battery” of chevron barracuda hangs out on the Great Barrier reef.Swordfish swim together in a “flotilla.”.Ocean-dwelling fishes like American shad and salmon that mass-migrate up inland riverways are “runs.” (In this case, one of many dictionary definitions for “run” is a more general group of animals moving together).Also, in “draft,” “nest” and sometimes “runs.” Note that “shoal” may be an early word that evolved into “school.” According to the web and several actual publications, they constitute a “fever.” FISH GROUPSįishes in general travel in schools or shoals. Here’s my list, starting with fishes: A formation of eagle rays glides in formation through a mangrove inlet. One website,, has a disclaimer at the top: “Don’t trust this list many of these entries are fanciful and never found outside of word lists.” Then, it proceeds with a full list. Conversely fair, the web is loaded with sites whose major approach to research is to just copy each other without question or attribution. To be fair, I found both fever and fluther on more than one website. Who makes up these names? Apparently, the web does (group name: “The Web”). But then, neither does your basic dictionary recognize “fever” and shiver” as animal groups. SHIVERS, ARMIES, FLUTHERSĪlong the same lines, it develops that a bunch of sharks is a “shiver.” A bunch of herring is an “army.” And a bunch of jellyfish is a “smack,” “brood,” “swarm” or “bloom.”Īlso, a “fluther.” According to the web, a bunch of jellyfish can be a “fluther.” Check it out in a dictionary and the word doesn’t exist, although in fact both National Geographic and recognize the word. The result: It’s generally accepted that a group of rays is termed a “fever”…. Say what? This required research, admittedly of the Google sort. Perusing photos recently, two of them identified bunches of stingrays as “fevers.” YOU PROBABLY THINK THAT FISH SWIM IN SCHOOLS. I would have just said they were a “frenzy.” A “shiver” of sharks showed up at this feeding event. Perhaps it’s a nice antidote to our time of pandemic. There’s not any point to any of this but still I felt impelled to produce a list, from fishes to sea birds, sharks to pelicans, after encountering several oddities in publications. As in, a “fluther” of jellyfish, a “risk” of lobsters and a “turmoil” of porpoises. But marine animals groups have names, too, some familiar, some strange and some… really strange. We’re all likely familiar with the terms “murder” of crows and “pride” of lions for assemblages of those animals.
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