When an animal senses a threat, certain stress mechanisms are triggered. The term “Fight or Flight response”, coined by Walter Bradford Cannon, alludes to the fact that in these situations animals physically prepare to fight or flee.
The heart beats faster, breathing accelerates, senses are heightened… Many animals live together in large groups creating giant structures. Somehow, the transition from calm to stressful situations affects the whole group and makes it behave as if it were a single individual. A flock of birds or a herd of buffalo can behave as a seemingly chaotic and surprisingly organized mass at the same time.
