Melissa
Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated
April 19, 2007
Beastly Garden of Wordy Delights
Words have always fascinated me. An avid reader from before the time I could see over the top of the check-out counter at the library, I have always found many words to be a delight to roll off the tongue or to sit there, oddly arrayed, on the page. While I usually did well on spelling tests, I often spent too much time mulling over the sound or appearance of words, so I was not always the fastest of test-takers..
Compiled by Melissa Kaplan
Note: Part 1 and 2 are bundled into a single PDF file if you would prefer to save to read or print offline.
Part 1:
Plurals,
Collective Nouns, Sounds, Gender and Offspring
Part 2:
Adjectives
Herp Riddles and Jokes
Plurals, Collective Nouns, Sounds, Gender and Offspring
|
Animal |
Plural |
Collective Noun |
Sound |
Female/Male |
Offspring |
|
alligator |
+s |
congregation |
peep |
. |
hatchling |
| alpaca | .. | .. | . | cria | |
|
antelope |
herd |
. |
doe/buck |
calf |
|
|
ant |
+s |
army, colony, swarm |
. |
queen/flying [1] |
antling |
|
ape |
+s |
shrewness |
gibber |
.. |
infant |
|
ass |
+es |
herd, pace |
bray |
jennet(jenny)/jack |
. |
|
baboon |
+s |
rumpus |
. |
. |
infant |
|
bacterium |
bacteria |
culture |
. |
. |
. |
|
badger |
+s |
cete |
. |
sow/boar |
kit, cub |
|
bass |
shoal |
. |
. |
. |
|
|
bat |
+s |
cloud |
ping |
. |
pup |
|
bear |
+s |
sleuth, sloth |
growl |
sow/bear |
cub |
|
beaver |
+s |
colony, lodge |
. |
. |
kit, kitten |
|
bee |
+s |
hive, grist, swarm |
buzz, hum, murmur |
. |
larva |
|
beetle |
+s |
. |
. |
. |
grub |
|
bird |
+s |
congregation, flock, dissimulation, volary |
sing, twitter |
. |
chick, hatchling |
|
bittern |
+s |
sedge, sledge |
boom |
. |
. |
|
blackbird |
+s |
. |
whistle |
. |
. |
|
boar |
+s |
pack, singular, sounder |
. |
sow/boar |
piglet, boarlet |
|
buck |
+s |
brace, clash |
. |
. |
. |
|
buffalo |
herd |
. |
cow/bull |
. |
|
|
bull |
+s |
. |
bellow |
. |
. |
|
butterfly |
-ies |
flutter |
. |
. |
caterpillar |
|
buzzard |
+s |
wake |
. |
. |
chick |
|
calf |
calves |
. |
bawl, bleat |
. |
. |
|
camel |
+s |
flock |
groan, grunt |
. |
calf |
| cat | +s | clowder, clutter | caterwal, mew, meow, purr, swear | queen/tom(cat) | catling, kit, kitten, puss, pussy |
|
caterpillar |
+s |
army |
. |
. |
. |
|
cattle |
drove, herd |
bawl, low, moo |
cow/bull [2] |
calves |
|
|
chicken |
+s |
brood, peep |
cackle, peep |
hen/rooster [3] |
chick |
|
chick |
+s |
chattering, clutch |
peep |
. |
. |
|
chimpanzee |
+s |
cartload |
hoot, scream |
. |
infant |
|
clam |
+s |
bed |
. |
. |
larva |
|
cobra |
+s |
quiver |
. |
. |
. |
|
cock(erel) |
+s |
. |
crow |
. |
. |
|
cockroach |
+es |
intrusion |
. |
. |
larva |
| codfish. | . | . | . | codling, sprat | |
|
colt |
+s |
rag |
. |
. |
. |
|
coot |
+s |
cover |
. |
. |
hatchling |
|
cormorant |
+s |
gulp |
|||
|
cow |
+s |
kine, herd |
bawl, low, moo |
. |
calf (calves) |
|
coyote |
+s |
band, pack, shift, wilieness |
. |
. |
pup |
|
crane |
+s |
herd, sedge, sledge |
. |
. |
hatchling, chick, colt |
|
crocodile |
+s |
bask, congregation, float |
. |
. |
|
|
crow |
+s |
cawcus, hoard, murder (gathering); cawroboree (in flight) |
caw |
. |
chick, hatchling |
|
cub |
+s |
litter |
. |
. |
. |
|
cuckoo |
+s |
. |
cuckoo |
. |
. |
|
curlew |
+s |
herd |
. |
. |
. |
|
cur |
+s |
cowardice |
. |
. |
. |
|
deer |
herd |
bell |
doe/buck |
fawn, yearling |
|
|
dog |
+s |
pack |
bark, basy, howl, snarl, woof, yelp |
bitch/dog |
pup, puppy, whelp |
|
dolphin |
+s |
pod |
click |
. |
. |
|
donkey |
+ies |
drove, herd |
. |
. |
foal |
|
dove |
+s |
dule |
coo, moan |
. |
squab |
|
duck |
+s |
flock (in air), paddling (on water), team |
quack |
duck/drake |
duckling |
|
eagle |
+s |
convocation |
scream |
. |
eaglet, eyas |
|
eel |
swarm |
. |
. |
elver |
|
|
egg |
+s |
clutch |
. |
. |
. |
|
elephant |
+s |
herd, parade |
trumpet |
cow/bull |
calf |
|
elephant seal |
+s |
pod |
. |
. |
yearling=weaner |
|
elk |
. |
gang |
. |
. |
calf |
|
emu |
+s |
mob |
. |
. |
chick, hatchling |
|
falcon |
+s |
. |
chant |
. |
. |
|
ferret |
+s |
business, fesnyng |
. |
. |
kit |
|
finch |
+es |
charm |
. |
. |
chick, hatchling |
|
fish |
fish |
catch, drought, haul, run, school, shoal |
. |
. |
fry, fingerling |
|
flamingo |
+s |
stand |
. |
. |
chick |
|
fly |
flies |
business, swarm |
buzz |
. |
maggot |
|
fox |
+s |
leash, skulk |
bark, yelp |
vixen/dog |
cub, kit, pup |
|
frog |
+s |
army |
croak |
. |
polliwog, tadpole |
|
giraffe |
+s |
corps, herd, totter, tower |
bleat, grunt |
. |
calf |
|
gnat |
+s |
cloud, horde |
.. |
. |
. |
|
goat |
+s |
flock, tribe, trip |
.. |
nanny/billy goat |
kid |
|
goldfinch |
+s |
charm |
.. |
. |
chick |
|
goose |
geese |
gaggle on water/land; skein when in flight |
cackle, hiss, honk |
goose/gander |
cheeper, gosling, grouse |
|
gorilla |
+s |
band |
.. |
female/silverback [4] |
infant |
|
grasshopper |
+s |
. |
chirp, pitter |
. |
pup |
|
greyhound |
+s |
leash |
roo |
. |
.. |
|
grouse |
drumming |
drum |
. |
cheeper, chick |
|
| guanaco | +s | . | . | . | cria |
|
guinea fowl |
. |
.. |
cry |
. |
.keet. |
| guinea pig | +s | . | squeak, whistle | . | . |
| hag moth | . | . | . | . | monkey slug |
|
hare |
+s |
down, husk |
squeak |
doe/buck |
. |
|
hawk |
+s |
cast, kettle |
scream |
. |
fledgling, eyas |
|
hedgehog |
+s |
array |
. |
. |
piglet |
|
hen |
+s |
brood |
. |
. |
.pullet |
|
heron |
+s |
siege, sedge |
. |
. |
. |
|
herring |
+s |
shoal |
. |
. |
. |
|
hippo |
+s |
bloat |
bray, snort |
. |
calf |
|
hog |
+s |
drift, parcel, passel |
. |
. |
. |
|
hornet |
+s |
nest |
. |
. |
larva |
|
horse |
+s |
harras, herd, ramuda, string |
neigh, whinny |
mare/stallion [5] |
foal, pony |
|
hound |
+s |
cry, mute, pack |
. |
. |
pup |
|
hummingbird |
+s |
charm |
click, whir |
. |
chick |
|
hyena |
+s |
cackle |
laugh |
. |
. |
|
insect |
+s |
swarm |
. |
. |
larva, nymph |
|
jackrabbit |
+s |
husk |
. |
. |
. |
|
jay |
+s |
. |
chatter |
. |
. |
|
jellyfish |
smack |
. |
. |
ephyra |
|
|
kangaroo |
+s |
mob, troop |
. |
flyer/boomer |
joey |
|
kitten |
+s |
kindle, litter |
mew |
. |
. |
|
lapwing |
+s |
deceit |
. |
. |
. |
|
lark |
+s |
ascension, exaltation |
. |
. |
chick |
|
leopard |
+s |
leap, leep |
. |
. |
cub |
|
linnet |
+s |
. |
chuckle |
. |
. |
|
lion |
+s |
pride |
roar, growl |
lioness/lion |
cub |
| llama | +s | . | . | . | cria |
|
locust |
+s |
plague |
. |
. |
larva |
|
louse |
lice |
colony |
. |
. |
nit [6] |
|
loon |
+s |
. |
howl |
. |
. |
| mackerel | . | . | .. | blinker, tinker, spike | |
|
magpie |
+s |
tiding |
chatter |
. |
. |
|
mallard |
+s |
sord |
. |
. |
duckling |
|
man |
men |
band |
. |
. |
infant, toddler, child |
|
mare |
+s |
stud |
. |
. |
. |
|
marten |
+s |
richness |
. |
. |
. |
|
mole |
+s |
labor |
. |
. |
pup |
|
monkey |
+s |
troup |
chatter, gibber |
. |
infant |
|
moose |
herd |
bellow |
. |
calf |
|
|
mosquito |
+es |
swarm |
. |
. |
nymph |
|
mouse |
mice |
hoard, miscief |
squeak, squeal |
. |
pinky |
|
mule |
+s |
barren, span |
. |
. |
foal |
|
nightingale |
+s |
watch |
pipe, jug-lug, warble |
. |
chick |
|
owl |
+s |
parliament |
hoot, screech, wail |
. |
owlet |
|
ox |
oxen |
drove, herd, team, yoke |
bellow, low |
. |
. |
|
oyster |
=s |
bed |
. |
. |
spat |
|
parrot |
+s |
company, flock |
talk |
. |
chick |
|
partridge |
+s |
covey |
. |
. |
cheeper, chick |
|
peacock |
+s |
muster, ostentation |
scream |
hen/peacock |
chick |
|
peep |
+s |
litter |
. |
. |
blob |
|
peewit |
+s |
. |
cry |
. |
. |
| pelican | +s | raft (on water?), squadron (in flight?) | |||
|
penguin |
+s |
rookery |
bleat |
. |
chick |
|
pheasant |
+s |
bouquet, nide, nye |
. |
. |
chick |
|
pig |
+s |
litter |
grunt, squeak, squeal |
sow/boar |
farrow, piglet, shoat, suckling |
| pigeon | +s | flight, flock | coo | hen/cock | squab, squeaker |
|
pilchard |
+s |
shoal |
. |
. |
. |
|
plover |
+s |
congregation, wing |
. |
. |
. |
|
polar bear |
+s |
pack |
. |
. |
cub |
|
pony |
-ies |
string |
. |
. |
. |
|
porcupine |
+s |
prickle |
. |
. |
cub |
|
porpoise |
+s |
herd, pod |
. |
. |
. |
|
prairie dog |
+s |
coterie |
. |
. |
pup |
|
quail |
bevy, covey |
. |
hen/cock |
cheeper, chick |
|
|
rabbit |
+s |
nest, warren |
. |
doe/buck |
bunny |
|
raccoon |
+s |
nursery |
. |
. |
cub |
|
rat |
+s |
hoard, mischief, pack, swarm |
. |
. |
pinky, pup |
|
rattlesnake |
+s |
rhumba |
. |
. |
. |
|
raven |
+s |
unkindness |
croak |
. |
. |
| regal moth | . | . | . | . | hickory horned devil |
|
rhino |
+s |
crash |
grunt, growl, snort, whistle |
. |
calf |
|
roebuck |
+s |
bevy |
. |
. |
. |
|
rook |
+s |
building, clamor |
caw |
. |
. |
| rooster | .. | .. | . | . | cockerel |
| salmon | .. | . | . | grilse, parr, smolt | |
|
sandpiper |
+s |
. |
pipe, whistle |
. |
chick |
|
sea gull |
=s |
colony |
squawk |
. |
chick |
|
seal |
+s |
colony, herd, pod |
. |
cow/bull |
pup |
|
shark |
+s |
school, shiver |
. |
. |
cub, pup |
|
shearwater |
+s |
. |
shrill |
. |
. |
|
sheep |
flock |
baa, bleat |
ewe/ram |
cosset, hog, lamb, lambkins |
|