Collective names:

Antelope – herd, cluster, tribe

Apes – cunning, troop

Badgers – cete, colony

Cats (wild) – destruction, dowt, doubt

Cheetah – coalition

Elephant – parade, herd

Giraffe – tower, body, travel, group

Urchins – matrix, stingers

Hippo – Raft, Pod, Swell, Thunder, School

hyena – clan

Impala – range

Jackal – stalker

Leopard – jump, lepe

lion – pride, sault, sowse

Monkeys: Cunning, Wagon, Troop, Troop

mongoose – business

Pigs (wild) – probe

Rhino – clash, stubbornness, herd

Wild dog – pack

Wildebeest – implausibility, herd

Zebra – dazzle, rut, cohort

Origins of the name:

Aardvark – Translation of the Afrikaans word “earth pig”, since the ears and nose resemble those of a pig, it also burrows a lot.

Eared fox: refers to the large ears that resemble those of the Egyptian bat with a split face.

Blesbok – translation of the Afrikaans word “bold bald” referring to the white blaze on the face

Bushbaby: Lives in the “bush” and its call sounds like a crying baby

Caracal: From the Turkish name “garah-gulak” meaning black ear, referring to the black ear tufts.

Cheetah: Hindi word “cheetah” meaning “the spotted one”

Duiker – Afrikaans meaning “diver” from the action of the antelope when fleeing

Eland – Dutch word for moose, thought to be related or similar

Elephant: Greek word “elphas” and Latin word “elephantus” for the species

Gemsbok: Dutch word “gems” meaning chamois in reference to color

Genet: Name of the area of ​​Spain where the species inhabited in the 18th century

Giraffe: Arabic word “xirapha” meaning “one who walks quickly”

Hartebeest – translation of the Afrikaans word “cow heart” with reference to the shape of the horns

Hippopotamus: Greek “(h)ippo” meaning horse, and “pot-amus” meaning flowing river, a river horse.

Honey Badger – Honey Eater Badger from the French word “becheur” meaning digger

Impala: Zulu name “imphala” and Tswana name “phala” for the species

Jackal: Persian name “sagal” for the golden jackal

Klipspringer – translation of the Afrikaans word “stone-jumper” with reference to the pinning action in a rocky habitat

Kudu: Khoikhoi name for the species

Leopard: Greek words “pardus” for panther and “leo” for lion, abbreviated to leopard from leopardus

Lion: Greek word “leon” for the species

Mongoose – Indian name “mangus” for the species

Nyala: Zulu name “iNxala” for the species

Pangolin – Malay “peng-goling” name for the species, meaning “the roller” from its habit of rolling itself up into a ball for protection

Porcupine: Greek word “porcus” meaning pig and “spina” meaning species, direct translation “spiny pig”

Rhinoceros: Greek word “rhis” meaning nose and “keras” meaning horn, direct translation “nose horn”

Springbok – Afrikaans meaning “jump backwards” in reference to their unique jumping action called “pronking”

Warthog: refers to growths or warts on the face

Zebra: Portuguese or Italian name of the species in the Congo region