Clever cooperation is not vital to hunting in packs

摘要

A BISON flees through the snow, four wolves in hot pursuit. The bison circles to the left in a bid to escape, only to discover a fifth wolf lying in wait. Within seconds it is surrounded. This apparent ambush may require neither planning nor communication between wolves. According to a new computer model, a virtual wolf pack can replicate a real pack's behaviour by obeying just two rules, suggesting that the wolf's hunting strategy does not need much brain power. Raymond Coppinger of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and colleagues modelled a five-strong wolf pack in pursuit of prey. They programmed each wolf to move towards the prey until it reached a certain safe distance. It then moved away from any other wolves that had reached that distance.