Seagull after your chips? Fear the squadron, not the lone wolf
You settle down on the promenade to enjoy a bag of chips by the seaside. But then you realise you have been spotted. A single seagull is watching you eat with a hungry stare. Should you be afraid?
In an important discovery for those hoping to defend their lunch from greedy gulls, scientists have found that lone seagulls are usually reluctant to attack on their own, displaying a fear of approaching something unfamiliar.
This all changes, however, once they have strength in numbers.
Buoyed by a squadron of companions, gulls in a group are prepared to take greater risks to get food, a study has found. This may include dive-bombing an unsuspecting human to steal their battered cod and a handful of chips.
That lone
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