or that a group of puppies is called a litter, but there are many collective nouns for animals that are much less well-known, and frankly very strange.

A collective noun that describes a group of animals is also known as a term of venery. Some are specific to certain animals, whereas others overlap. Take our quiz to see if you know your herds ...

But even though “fluffle” is a wry 21st-century invention, it’s really not that different from collective nouns coined in the past. Many fanciful names for animal groups, like “a shrewdnes ...