loomarühm

Loomarühm is a term used in zoology to describe a social group of animals of the same species that move and interact together. The term, derived from Estonian loom (animal) and rühm (group), is often used as a broad umbrella for various forms of collective life, including herds, flocks, schools, packs, pods, and colonies.

Loomarühmad vary in size from a few individuals to thousands, and may exhibit fission–fusion dynamics. Grouping offers benefits such as enhanced foraging efficiency, predator detection, and mating opportunities, while imposing costs like increased competition and disease transmission. Individuals use local interaction rules to coordinate movement, leading to cohesive patterns even without centralized control.

In practice, loomarühm is a general category; specific terms describe particular group types, e.g., a herd of ungulates, a flock of birds, a school of fish, and a pod of whales. Examples across taxa include migratory wildebeest herds, starling murmurations, sardine schools, and bottlenose dolphin pods.

Researchers study loomarühmad through field observation, tagging and tracking, acoustic monitoring, and drone videography, and use mathematical models to understand collective motion, such as rule-based or agent-based models, and network analyses of social interactions.