A term describing a bird which hatches with down feathers, open eyes, and the ability to leave the nest within minutes or hours after hatching. Most ground-nesting birds, including cranes, are precocial - an adaptation which serves to reduce losses to predators. "Altricial" chicks are those which are naked and helpless when they hatch.
Chicks that hatch with down-covered bodies and open eyes. These chicks are independent of the parents soon after hatching.
Young born with hair, eyes open, and the ability to move about immediately after birth.
being born in a relatively advanced state of development and some what capable of being independent shortly after birth. An example would be hares as compared to rabbits.
(of hatchlings) covered with down and having eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days
hatched in an advanced state of development, with feathers, open eyes, and the ability to be active
born in a fully-developed state; the opposite of altricial
born well developed - primates are physically precocial (opposite of altricial)
Offspring born relatively mature and independent (cf. altricial.)
able to be very independent from birth
Describes some animals that display independent activity at birth, especially young birds that are hatched covered with down and with open eyes.
young that hatch from the egg covered in down and with well-developed legs. Soon after hatching they are able to feed themselves.
the condition of newly hatched birds being covered in down able to walk away from the nest with their parents as soon as they have dried off Pheasants and quail have precocial young.
offspring is able to locomote and feed or care for itself soon after birth/hatching, often to a limited extent. In birds, covered with down and able to move about soon after hatching. See also: altricial
Refers to young mammals which are born with their eyes and ears open and are able to stand and walk, regulate their body temperature, and excrete without assistance. The young of grazing animals (e.g. cattle, sheep, and horses) are precocial. (Compare " altricial".) ( Allaby 1991)
refers to young that are born with fur or feathers and are able to leave the nest immediately after birth. References Burt, William H. and Richard P. Grossenheider, 1976. A Field Guide to the Mammals, North America North of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Fosha, Mike. Personal comm. Archaeologist, State Archaeology Lab, Rapid City, SD. Hall, E. Raymond and Keith R. Kelson, 1959. The Mammals of N. America. Ronald Press Company. Jones, J. Knox, Jr., et al., 1985. Guide to Mammals of the Plains States. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London. Jones, J. Knox, Jr. et al., 1983. Mammals of the Northern Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London. Selected Resources for Teachers Cottontails, Little Rabbits of Field and Forest, a book by Ron Fisher, 1989. National Geographic Society. The Life Cycle of the Cottontail Rabbit, a book by Julian May, 1973. Children's Press, Chicago. Rabbits and Hares by Robert Whitehead, 1976. Franklin Watts, New York.
In biology, precocial species are those that are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. The opposite of precocial is altricial. Precocial species are normally nidifugous, meaning that they leave the nest shortly after birth.