Avoidance of conspecific odour trails results in scale-free movement patterns and the execution of an optimal searching strategy

Abstract

It is shown how optimal Lévy flight searching patterns for the location of sparsely and randomly distributed targets can emerge from conspecific avoidance (i.e. behaviour designed to avoid locations previously traversed by individuals of the same species). The findings may account for the scale-free foraging movements of jackals and ground-foraging beetles.