Does selfish runaway or cohesive movement of the entire prey swarm be favourable to escape a predator attack?*

Cooperative interactions within the prey swarm play a crucial role in determining the escape dynamics in the presence of a predator. Using a simple particle-based model, incorporating the essential attractive and repulsive interactions between the prey and the predator, we investigate the effect of cooperative interactions on the survival chances of a prey swarm attacked by a nearby predator. The range of interaction within the prey group varies due to their vision, age, and even physical structure. Our study has inferred that the prey group cannot escape the predator if the interaction range is very small or very large. However, the survival probability of the prey swarm turns out to be maximum in the intermediate regime of interaction range. Moreover, different escape patterns emerge as the range of interaction changes. Further, our study shows that the size of the prey group and predator strength have an immense effect on this optimal survival regime.

Reference: Chakraborty, D., Bhunia, S., & De, R. (2020). Survival chances of a prey swarm: how the cooperative interaction range affects the outcome. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-8.