Language is full of surprises, but few corners of the English lexicon are as delightfully bizarre as the collective nouns used to describe groups of animals. Forget “a group of crows” or “some sharks” ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Scientists estimate there are over 8 million animal species ...

Some animals carry names that give entirely the wrong impression of what they actually are. Scientists point out that many of these names come from early explorers who misunderstood the animals they ...