Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for April 07, 2022

At least you’re better off than the crows.

No offense hippo, really, at least your name means “water-horse” that means something

Who gets to decide on these group words?

We bears is in no groups. We so solitary creature. But when we is, we is a bunch o sleuths. It’s elementary, my dear Boo Boo. The ones with the picanic baskets went that a way.

And now, for Pig, Goat, and Rat….

A group of Pig is called passel.

A group of Goats is called a herd.

And a group of Rats is called a plague.

A group of hippos is a pod.

Why hippos are solitary creatures.

I miss Zebra being a main character in the strip instead of the occasional appearances of the last few years.

Hence dazzle camouflage (the idea started with British zoologist John Graham Kerr).

Well Hippo you are kind of large!

Why all the fancy names for groups of animals?

Elks/B.P.O.E. and Moose are Loyal Order of the Moose…

It’s also known as a raft of hippos.

Honestly, more than once I’ve thought that English is a made up language.

English doesn’t “borrow” from other languages: it follows them down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar and valuable vocabulary.

It is dangerous to get too close to hippos (enter their territory). Hippos kill about 500 people per year in Africa. Males can become aggressive if they sense danger. Mothers may attack to protect their young.

Hey, that’s body shaming! (like a hippo would care) :D

Granny Clampett though a baby hippo that Mr. Drysdale had was a giant hog.

VERY FUNNY!!

ZEEBA!!!!!

Dazzle your friend Hippo and make him feel all better….YAY!

Bloat is a condition, a group of Hippos is called a skinny.

Hippos perhaps should be more concerned with their reputation as one of the deadliest animals on the planet.

Zebra was always threatened by the bask of croc neighbors.

Does anyone remember when the word “pachyderm” referred to elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotamuses? That was because big game hunters grouped them all together as big, grey, and thick-skinned (pachy = thick, dermis = skin).

In fact they are not related to each other. Hippopotamuses, to no-one’s surprise, are related to pigs. Rhinoceroses are related to horses. Elephants are related to ……… elephants.

I see a lot of any animal, I say “Look, there’s a bunch of -—————-”. These fancy group names are fairly useless to most people, outside of providing some laughs.

I added the explanation of ghughugh to yesterday’s post.

I sure like your blue heeler avatar!

They’re also called, “crashes”, “pods” and “schools”.

Flavio and Marita,making hippodom flashy, hip, and cool since 1993:

https://youtu.be/a8qKbdevWl4

Ask an owl next time, Zebra. They get a cool name.

What they lack of in a name, they more than make up in their ferocity….

“I Want A Bloat For Christmas” just doesn’t sound right.

WHERE THE HECK ARE THE CROCS????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please allow me to suggest “an incompetence of crocs.”

I just found that out (Bloat that is) the other day. Made sense.

If you try to gather together as many crows as possible is that attempted murder?

I read they all have big chips on their shoulders.

No wonder hippos are so vicious.

Gotta love Pastis’ humor!!

Hippo has such dainty hands.

But they make great Christmas gifts…

I can’t remember the last time Zebra appeared without the crocs.

Not everyone can be a winner in the Game of Life, nor in the Name Game.

Some guys can’t even “win” a participation trophy….

His nose is lookin’ at me funny.

Did you know that a group of lemurs is called a conspiracy of lemurs? And owls are a parlamint of owls!

I’m trying to figure out why a group of jellyfish is called a smack instead of a sting or a (jelly)mold.