Scientists still do not know why locusts swarm. Most believe they swarm due to weather or some sort of cyclical climate conditions, where the locusts are simply searching for food. But, in this video, a researcher discusses his field research as to why they coordinate. He found that locusts are surprisingly driven by two social queues, cannibalism and leadership.

Update: better quality and full talk at: NatGeo Locusts

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Iain Couzin: Lessons from a Cannibal Plague

Iain Couzin shares his lessons from a locust cannibal plague. Whether looking at what causes locusts to swarm, or how people function as a society, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and behavioral ecologist Iain Couzin is finding fascinating ways creatures accomplish things in groups that they never could as individuals.

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