Cannibal Power: Mormon crickets swarm to eat and not be eaten

What drives the relentless march of Mormon crickets across the landscape is both a craving for food and a reluctance to be cannibalized, says an international research team.

NOURISHING MEAL. Mormon crickets that march in a swarm may be replenishing protein and salt when they cannibalize their swarm mates. PNAS

The swarms loom large in the lore of the American West, but scientists hadn’t worked out the dynamics of what keeps the insects on the move, says Stephen Simpson of the University of Sydney in Australia.