eli5: Why do African animals not get scared being next to each other, while in other continents they do?

Question

I know at least in North America, you don’t usually see congregations of large animals, but in all documentaries about Africa, you see lions, hippos, gazelles, zebras, etc all together

In: 0

Answer 1

On the African plains, lots of animals usually depend on a few water holes.

So they learn what animals are ok to be around, because they need to be around them.

Even being close to lions is sometimes acceptable if the alternative is litteraly dying of thirst.

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But in general, African animals often know what animals are dangerous, so they try to avoid them. And they also know what animals are safe to be around, so they stick close to those, since when a predator strikes, it’s usually better to have lots of bodies around you.