  We present a general theoretical model for the spatio-temporal dynamics of
animal contests. Inspired by interactions between physical particles, the model
is formulated in terms of effective interaction potentials, which map typical
elements of contest behaviour into empirically verifiable rules of contestant
motion. This allows us to simulate the observable dynamics of contests in
various realistic scenarios, notably in dyadic contests over a localized
resource. Assessment strategies previously formulated in game-theoretic models,
as well as the effects of fighting costs, can be described as variations in our
model's parameters. Furthermore, the trends of contest duration associated with
these assessment strategies can be derived and understood within the model.
Detailed description of the contestants' motion enables the exploration of
spatio-temporal properties of asymmetric contests, such as the emergence of
chase dynamics. Overall, our framework aims to bridge the growing gap between
empirical capabilities and theory in this widespread aspect of animal
behaviour.
