What do you call a group of...?

Some of us including me have heard that the name for a group of Baboons is called a Congress and one might see the coincidence with the that branch of government's approval ratings. However, according to Neil’s, “ThatAin’tRight.ForReals.Com” (my own personal fact finding pseudo-organization), I have concluded this is absolute hooey or whatever term you might apply to falsehoods. A group of Baboons is in fact called, a Troop.

Okay enough about terrestrial species. There are some interesting and funny terms for the collective nouns given to the species we frequently observe on our expeditions. My top three favorites are: A group of Loons is called an Asylum, a group of Murres is called a Fragrance (you can imagine why I would have thought it would be an Odor) and A group of Porpoise is called a Turmoil.

Here’s the complete list!

Murres – Bizarre or Fragrance

Eagles – convocation or aerie

Cormorants – gulp or flight

Puffins - colony, a puffinry, a circus, a burrow, a gathering, or an improbability

Rhinoceros Auklets - colony, loomery, or raft

Seagulls – colony, despite the popular group name from the 80’s it is not a flock of seagulls

Loons – Asylum, Cry or Waterdance

Ducks - flock, brace, raft, team or paddling

Whales – gam, herd, mob, Pod or run

Porpoise – crowd, herd, pod, school, shoal, turmoil

Sealions - When a group of sea lions is on land, its known as a colony. However, if the group is in the water, it is a raft. A group of female sea lions that belong to one bull is known as a harem.

Seals - bob. harem. herd. pod. rookery

Otters - romp, bevy, lodge, family, raft

Bears - sloth or a sleuth

Jelly fish - a bloom, smack or swarm

Sea Stars – galaxy, constellation or a school

Urchins – herd

#whalewatching #Sitka #Puffins #GrayWhale #WhalePhotography