Anomalies in predator/prey

There are some features of the simulation that seem a bit odd. They are worth understanding, and they might suggest things to try to change.

  1. A Rabbit surrounded by Clover will continue to eat, but it will probably be unable to reproduce because none of the adjacent cells is ever open. That makes for a very fat Rabbit. (This is most noticeable when there is a Fox two or four cells northeast of the Rabbit: it will get stuck hopping back and forth, eating.)
  2. A Fox surrounded by Clover is unable to move. That just seems a bit odd.
  3. A single Rabbit in a field of Clover can be seen to chew its way to the southwest. Why should that happen?
  4. The “Bunny Wave of Death” sometimes sweeps across the island, obliterating all Clover in its path. First, it is odd to see this coordinated behavior in a class called Rabbit (perhaps it would make sense if the class were Locust). Second, the waves seem to travel primarily to the northeast.

One might wonder if the directional biases arise from something akin to the reason that behind the observation that cows tend to line up north-south unless power lines interfere?


Cary Gray
Last modified: Mon Oct 31 15:17:06 CDT 2011