Risky shift

Biological Parallel

Individual meerkats cautiously avoid open ground where aerial predators hunt, but groups venture into dangerous territory with shocking boldness—more eyes means faster threat detection, changing individual risk calculations. This diffusion of vigilance allows groups to exploit resources that individuals cannot safely access. Risky shift evolved because the mathematics of collective security genuinely reduce per-capita danger: a lone meerkat scanning 25% of the time is far more vulnerable than a group where each scans 5% but coverage is continuous.