From social butterflies to solitary scavengers, virtually all animals gather into groups at some point in their lives. Safety in numbers is one reason for this, since a pack of prey is less vulnerable to attack by predators, but many animals also rely on collective wisdom to help them make better decisions. Some even blur the line between individual and group, while others limit their social time to mating season.

Whatever draws them together, something odd happens when creatures form crowds: They suddenly have bizarre, often silly names. These group nouns are rarely used, even by scientists, but they nonetheless represent our own species' collective creativity for linguistics — not to mention our deep-rooted affinity for nature.

Taking the time to name a "richness of martens" or a "murmuration of starlings," for example, suggests a basic lack of contempt for the wildlife in question. Even our more derogatory labels, like an "obstinacy of buffalo" or an "unkindness of ravens," reveal a certain respect for the nonhuman neighbors that share our environment.

Without further ado, here are 99 of the strangest collective names for animals:

Mammals and marsupials

A conspiracy of ring-tailed lemurs. Bas Czerwinski/AFP / Getty Images

Apes: a shrewdness

a shrewdness Badgers: a cete

a cete Bats: a cauldron

a cauldron Bears: a sloth or sleuth

a sloth or sleuth Buffalo: a gang or obstinacy

a gang or obstinacy Cats: a clowder, pounce or glaring; for kittens: a kindle, litter or intrigue

a clowder, pounce or glaring; for kittens: a kindle, litter or intrigue Dogs: a litter (puppies), pack (wild) or cowardice (curs)

a litter (puppies), pack (wild) or cowardice (curs) Donkeys: a pace

a pace Elephants: a parade

a parade Elk: a gang

a gang Ferrets: a business

a business Fox: a leash, skulk or earth

a leash, skulk or earth Giraffes: a tower

a tower Goats: a tribe or trip

a tribe or trip Gorillas: a band

a band Hippopotamuses: a bloat or thunder

a bloat or thunder Hyenas: a cackle

a cackle Jaguars: a shadow

a shadow Kangaroos: a troop or mob

a troop or mob Lemurs: a conspiracy

a conspiracy Leopards: a leap

a leap Lions: a pride or sawt

a pride or sawt Martens: a richness

a richness Moles: a labor

a labor Monkeys: a troop or barrel

a troop or barrel Mules: a pack, span or barren

a pack, span or barren Otters: a romp

a romp Pigs: a drift, drove, sounder, team or passel

a drift, drove, sounder, team or passel Porcupines: a prickle

a prickle Porpoises: a pod, school, herd or turmoil

a pod, school, herd or turmoil Rabbits: a colony, warren, nest, down, husk or herd (domestic only)

a colony, warren, nest, down, husk or herd (domestic only) Rhinoceroses: a crash

a crash Squirrels: a dray or scurry

a dray or scurry Tigers: an ambush or streak

an ambush or streak Whales: a pod, gam or herd

a pod, gam or herd Wolves: a pack, rout or route (when in movement)

Birds

An ostentation of Indian peacocks. Shah Marai/AFP / Getty Images

Bitterns: a sedge

a sedge Buzzards: a wake

a wake Bobolinks: a chain

a chain Coots: a cover

a cover Cormorants: a gulp

a gulp Crows: a murder or horde

a murder or horde Dotterel: a trip

a trip Doves: a dule or pitying (specific to turtle doves)

a dule or pitying (specific to turtle doves) Ducks: a brace, team, flock (in flight), raft (on water), paddling or badling

a brace, team, flock (in flight), raft (on water), paddling or badling Eagles: a convocation

a convocation Finches: a charm

a charm Flamingos: a stand

a stand Geese: a flock, gaggle (on the ground) or skein (in flight)

a flock, gaggle (on the ground) or skein (in flight) Grouse: a pack (in late season)

a pack (in late season) Hawks: a cast, kettle (in flight) or boil (two or more spiraling in air)

a cast, kettle (in flight) or boil (two or more spiraling in air) Herons: a sedge or siege

a sedge or siege Jays: a party or scold

a party or scold Lapwings: a deceit

a deceit Larks: an exaltation

an exaltation Mallards: a sord (in flight) or brace

a sord (in flight) or brace Magpies: a tiding, gulp, murder or charm

a tiding, gulp, murder or charm Nightingales: a watch

a watch Owls: a parliament

a parliament Parrots: a pandemonium or company

a pandemonium or company Partridge: a covey

a covey Peafowl: an ostentation or muster

an ostentation or muster Penguins: a colony, muster, parcel or rookery

a colony, muster, parcel or rookery Pheasant: a nest, nide (a brood), nye or bouquet

a nest, nide (a brood), nye or bouquet Plovers: a congregation or wing (in flight)

a congregation or wing (in flight) Ptarmigans: a covey

a covey Rooks: a building

a building Quail: a bevy or covey

a bevy or covey Ravens: an unkindness

an unkindness Snipe: a walk or wisp

a walk or wisp Sparrows: a host

a host Starlings: a murmuration

a murmuration Storks: a mustering

a mustering Swans: a bevy, game or wedge (in flight)

a bevy, game or wedge (in flight) Teal: a spring

a spring Turkeys: a rafter or gang

a rafter or gang Woodcocks: a fall

a fall Woodpeckers: a descent

Reptiles and amphibians

A maelstrom of crocodile salamanders. Tanes Ngamsom / Shutterstock

Cobras: a quiver

a quiver Crocodiles: a bask

a bask Frogs: an army

an army Toads: a knot

a knot Turtles: a bale or nest

a bale or nest Salamanders: a maelstrom

a maelstrom Snakes, vipers: a nest

Fish

A shiver of hammerhead sharks. Janos Rautonen / Shutterstock

Fish in general: a draft, nest, run, school or shoal

a draft, nest, run, school or shoal Herring: an army

an army Sharks: a shiver

a shiver Trout: a hover

Invertebrates

A fluther of golden jellyfish. Ethan Daniels / Shutterstock

Bees: a grist, hive or swarm

a grist, hive or swarm Caterpillars: an army

an army Clams: a bed

a bed Crabs: a consortium

a consortium Cockroaches: an intrusion

an intrusion Flies: a business

a business Grasshoppers: a cloud

a cloud Jellyfish: a bloom, fluther or smack

a bloom, fluther or smack Lobsters: a risk

a risk Oysters: a bed

a bed Snails: a hood

a hood Squid: an audience

[Via U.S. Geological Survey, Oxford Dictionaries]