The formation, persistence and movement of self-organised biological aggregations are
mediated by signals (e.g., visual, acoustic or chemical) that organisms use to communicate
with each other. To investigate the effect that communication has on the movement of
biological aggregations, we use a class of nonlocal hyperbolic models that incorporate
social interactions and different communication mechanisms between group members. We
approximate the maximum speed for left-moving and right-moving groups, and show
numerically that the travelling pulses exhibited by the nonlocal hyperbolic models
actually travel at this maximum speed. Next, we use the formula for the speed of a
travelling pulse to calculate the reversal time for the zigzagging behaviour, and show
that the communication mechanisms have an effect on these reversal times. Moreover, we
show that how animals communicate with each other affects also the density structure of
the zigzags. These findings offer a new perspective on the complexity of the biological
factors behind the formation and movement of various aggregations.