An investigation of power law distribution in wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) herds in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Wildebeest herds in the Serengeti National Park exhibit aggregation patterns that follow a truncated power law distribution, suggesting predictable statistical behavior driven by social interactions among individuals. This discovery challenges traditional assumptions about herd dynamics and provides new insights into the mathematical modeling of animal group movements. Researchers analyzed aerial survey images from 2015 to quantify empirical distributions and then used a Lagrangian model to simulate individual movement and herd aggregation, matching parameter values to observed data. The findings imply that social behavior plays a significant role in shaping large-scale migration patterns, offering a novel framework for understanding collective animal dynamics.

(Ed.). (2020). An investigation of power law distribution in wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) herds in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Communications in Mathematical Biology and Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.28919/cmbn/4943