Why do animals form swarms?

When many individual organisms come together and move as one entity, that’s a swarm. From a handful of birds to billions of insects, swarms can be almost any size. They have no leader, and members interact only with their neighbors or through indirect cues. Members follow simple rules: travel in the same direction as those around you, stay close and avoid collisions.

Learn about swarms, swarm intelligence, and both the advantages and disadvantages of swarm behaviors.

Then watch more swarm videos on this site, including The Secrets of Schooling, The Magnificent Monarchs, Sardine Feeding Frenzy, Emperor Penguins keep warm in an ever-shifting huddle, an amazing murmuration of 70,000 starlings, a swarm of locusts devouring everything in their path, and this Comiket crowd control, a time lapse in Tokyo, Japan.

Bonus: Biomimicry videos.