It's Murder, I Tell You

I wonder why our language has so very many words
For different groups of animals. We all have heard of herds
And flocks, but maybe not a pandemonium of parrots,
A bloat of hippopotami, a business full of ferrets,
A parliament of owls, or a colony of beavers.
The lemurs have conspiracies, the stingrays come in fevers,
The jaguars come in shadows, and the turtles come in bales.
It’s fair to speak of pods or schools or even gams for whales.
The porcupines have prickles, and the cobras come in quivers.
The foxes come in leashes, and the sharks, of course, have shivers.
The falcons come in casts, and the flamingos come in stands.
While apes may come in shrewdnesses, gorillas come in bands.
The ravens have unkindnesses, and jellyfish have smacks.
Now wouldn’t it be easier to call them all by “packs”?