by Melissa Wilks — Every day we see an­i­mals mi­grat­ing through the air, across plains, and in the oceans, in beau­ti­fully co­or­di­nated pat­terns; star­lings flock to­gether in the thou­sands while sar­dines swim to­gether in enor­mous shoals. These so­cial be­hav­iors are im­por­tant in al­low­ing an­i­mals to so­cial­ize, avoid preda­tors, and find refuge and food. But what…