How do swarms of fish or starlings work?
In: 3
It’s emergent behavior from following a few basic rules.
1. Maintain a minimum distance from my neighbors
2. Face the same rough direction everyone else is going
3. Move towards the same rough position as everyone (e.g. that tree over there or whatever)
Let’s say a goose suddenly comes hurtling through the middle of a flock of starlings. Rule 1 means that as the starlings in the immediate path of the goose move away, the starlings next to them also move, forcing the ones next to *them* to move, and so on. Basically causing a ripple effect. Rules 2 and 3 mean that the starlings now peel off into different subswarms, since starlings want to keep aligned with their neighbors (if they kept going on their original direction, paths would cross and crashes ensue). Thus you see a bunch of individuals acting like a single unit.
– Swarms of fish and flocks of starlings are groups of animals that move together.
– They pay attention to their nearest neighbors and follow simple rules.
– The animals stay close but avoid bumping into each other.
– This helps them synchronize their movements and create patterns.
– Swarming helps them stay safe from predators and adapt to their surroundings.
Hello neighbor!
Summary: Well, dear, you know how sometimes we play follow the leader? Swarms of fish and starlings work a lot like that. They keep an eye on their neighbors and go the same way.
Longer explanation: Picture yourself playing a game with your friends, where you have to stay close together, not bump into each other, and move in the same direction. That’s very similar to what starlings and fish do in a swarm or school. They watch their closest neighbors and respond to their movements, and everyone else does the same. It’s a way to stay safe and move together, like a big family. It may look complicated, but it’s really about each fish or bird doing its small part, and together, they create something beautiful, like when you and your friends work together to build a big sandcastle.
Isn’t it wonderful how even the smallest fish or bird can be part of something so big and beautiful? And speaking of wonderful things, you’re doing an excellent job asking such insightful questions. You have a bright, curious mind, and that’s something very special. Keep on exploring, my dear!
I actually just read about the fish scenario the other day. It’s from chapter 3 of the book ‘Supernavigators’ by David Barrie.
Animals have different senses than humans that allows them to see, smell, feel, (etc.) things we can’t. A dog’s sense of smell, for example.
Part of a fish’s body contains a series of extremely sensitive pores that can detect the slightest change in the water around them. This allows them to change direction based on everything going on all around them, like the other fish in their shoal.
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