Extending Reynolds’ flocking model to asimulation of sheep in the presence of a predator

Abstract: Reynolds’ flocking model is a widely used behavioral model, originally made for simulating flocks of birds. In this study we examine the possibility of modifying the model to simulate the scenario of a flock of sheep in the presence of a predator. Apart from introducing a human-controlled predator, the simulated animals were modified to move in two instead of three dimensions and behave like sheep instead of birds. A simulator, using this modified version of Reynolds’ model, was implemented so that the behavior of the simulated sheep could be compared to the behavior of real sheep. The comparison was done primarily by using quantitative data gathered from the simulator. This comparison showed the existance of several similarities between the simulated sheep and real sheep. These results suggest that Reynolds’ flocking model can be used as a basis for this scenario.