ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Fish School Search

Do you remember how you and your friends walk together in a line sometimes? Just like how you and your friends move together, fish also swim together in a group. This group of fish is called a school.

When fish in a school are searching for food, they spread out and swim in different directions. Then, if one fish finds food, it quickly signals the others to swim towards it. This signal can be a change in the direction of the fish, or it can be a special chemical they release.

Once the other fish see or smell the signal, they all quickly swim towards the food. This helps the fish to find food more quickly and efficiently. Just like how you and your friends work together to solve a problem or complete a task, fish in a school work together to find food.