Question: Using the examples from the lecture, explain the professor's main point about how safety in numbers helps animals avoid predators.
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Today we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior known as 'safety in numbers.' This idea suggests that animals often gather in large groups to reduce their individual risk of being attacked by predators. The main point is that by staying in a group, each animal's chance of being the one that gets caught decreases significantly. Let me give you two examples to illustrate this. First, consider the sardine. When sardines swim in massive schools, they create a shimmering, moving mass that confuses predators like tuna or dolphins. The predators find it hard to single out one fish, so they often give up or catch only a few stragglers. This increases the survival rate for the majority of the school. Second, think about wildebeests during their migration. They travel in huge herds across the African plains. When lions attack, the herd scatters and runs in different directions. This chaos makes it difficult for the lion to focus on one target, and while some individuals may be caught, most escape. So, in both cases, grouping behavior provides a crucial survival advantage.