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Beyond planar: fish schools adopt ladder formations in 3D
Hungtang Ko1, Abigail Girma2, Yangfan Zhang3
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, USA.
Scientific Reports
|June 27, 2025
Summary
Fish schools rarely form the expected diamond shape, preferring dynamic 3D arrangements like vertical "ladder formations." This challenges traditional views on collective animal behavior and hydrodynamic efficiency in fish schools.
Area of Science:
- Animal Collective Behavior
- Ichthyology
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Classical models predict fish schools adopt planar diamond formations for hydrodynamic efficiency.
- Previous research on fish school formations has been limited, with ongoing debate about their real-world application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the three-dimensional formations adopted by free-swimming fish schools.
- To determine if fish schools maintain idealized planar diamond formations in natural settings.
Main Methods:
- Tracking polarized giant danio (Devario aequipinnatus) schools over ten hours.
- Analyzing inter-fish distances and relative positions to identify formations.
- Quantifying the prevalence of different formations, including planar and non-planar arrangements.
Main Results:
- Fish schools rarely maintain horizontal planar formations (only 25.2% of pairs).
- The classical diamond formation was observed in less than 0.1% of frames.
- A vertical 'ladder formation' was the most common, observed in 79% of fish pairs, and elongated at higher speeds.
Conclusions:
- Fish schools exhibit dynamic, three-dimensional organization rather than static planar formations.
- Hydrodynamic benefits may be achieved without adherence to idealized formations.
- Findings necessitate a re-evaluation of collective behavior models and hydrodynamics in 3D environments.
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