school of fish

You may have heard about schools of fish, but have you ever explored this topic in depth? It's important to know that two terms, "shoal" and "school," do not mean the same thing. A shoal of fish is a loosely organized group that spend time together and occupy their time.
 A school of fish is a phenomenon in which fish move together in order to survive, protect themselves from predators, obtain food, or change their environment. Schools of fish can contain a million fish, and each fish plays a specific role in the group. 

The fish at the front of the school is the leader and is responsible for the movement of the entire group. They are the most likely to find food and swim in water that has the most oxygen. They may seem most exposed to danger but they have the biggest advantage. The fish in the middle of the school are the safest, but they have to work harder to find food. The fish at the end of the school are the first to be attacked by predators, but they use the least energy to move. Each position has its advantages and disadvantages. 

When we see a school of fish, it's easy to notice that they move as one organism. How does this happen? Fish have a lateral line that allows them to detect the position of their neighbors. When a neighbor comes too close, they adjust their movement to create a well-coordinated whole.

https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/09/07/fish-101-back-school/

Komentarze

  1. It looks like the person in the middle photo might be in danger, like in the case of a stampede of cattle.

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