Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Why do you think the monkeys fight in such large numbers?

The monkeys fight in large numbers because it is an effective tactic when fighting a larger, more powerful, and dangerous adversary. The monkeys "gang up" on an opponent because that opponent simply cannot guard against attacks from every angle simultaneously. The other reason to attack in large numbers (as well as live in large numbers) is that it makes sense from a defensive perspective. Attacking in a large number gives each member of the group greater odds of surviving the encounter. For example, if one monkey is guaranteed to die in an attack, then that monkey has a 100 percent chance of death if it is the only monkey present. Two monkeys gives a 50 percent chance of survival for each monkey, and 100 monkeys gives a 99 percent chance of survival.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why_do_animals_do_what_they_do_part_2_a_herd_is_good


The main reason is that there's always safety in numbers. The larger the troop of monkeys, the more effective they'll be as a fighting unit. A single monkey can always be picked off by a dangerous predator, but when the monkeys fight together as a group, that becomes a much more difficult proposition. Such an approach to battle comes in especially useful in dealing with snakes like Kaa, the poisonous rock python. The monkeys are absolutely terrified of Kaa; he didn't get the nickname "night thief" for nothing. The slithery serpent's been known to slip into the branches at night, as quiet as the grave, and make off with a monkey without anyone's noticing. No monkey, no matter how strong, is safe from Kaa's poisonous fangs. So it makes sense for the monkey troop to stick together, to protect themselves from Kaa, the most dangerous predator in the jungle.

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