A drone is flying over a herd of plains zebras in central Kenya. It is flying quite high so that the animals are not bothered by it. These zebras are really interesting for collective and spatial behavior studies, according to the researchers Ben Koger and Blair Costelloe, who are monitoring the drone.
The plains zebras live in multi-level societies: small groups of females and a male combine to form larger herds of dozens of animals. This social and spatial structure could influence behavioral processes such as decision-making and information sharing and have implications for understanding our own complex societies. Traditionally, it has been very difficult to conduct this kind of research. But new techniques their team has developed using imaging drones and artificial intelligence open up new possibilities.
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