Question

Read the following passage and answer the following question.
A group of 10 newly hatched chicks was separated into two smaller groups containing five chicks each. One group (Group A) was left with the mother hen, the other group (Group B) was taken shortly after hatching and kept with a mother goose. The chicks in Group A displayed normal behavior and followed the mother hen around. The chicks in Group B followed the mother goose around and exhibited goose like behavior, such as swimming. After one week, Group B was reunited with the mother hen, but ignored her, and instead continued to follow the mother goose around the barnyard. If exposed to a mother pig during the period shortly after hatching, the chicks in Group B would exhibit.

a. Pig like behaviour
b. Goose like behaviour
c. Chick like behaviour
d. Unique behaviour

Answer 1

Hint: As chicks are very small and fragile, after hatching they need support from their mother for their survival. They are well protected and they tend to remain in incubation for about 24 hours after hatching.

Complete answer:
Shortly after the chicks have hatched, it is a crucial period for them as they are programmed genetically to identify their mothers through environmental cues. They tend to grow socially attached and learn from their mothers immediately and create their identity from them. Therefore, the newly born chicks exhibit behaviour that is similar to the animal they were exposed to in that phase. This phenomenon of phase-sensitive learning is termed as filial imprinting.

Thus, the newly born chick if exposed to mother pig shortly after hatching, the chicks would exhibit Pig like behaviour.
Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Additional information:
The chicks acquire the behaviour of the mother in a few hours or days. However, imprinting is not limited to their behaviour. They also tend to develop sexual imprinting, which is helpful for the birds and animals to select their mate. Interestingly, humans also exhibit imprinting called limbic imprinting, which is suspected to occur in response to the experiences in prenatal, perinatal or postnatal stages. These experiences leave imprints on the limbic system which are said to play a role in the human’s emotional map, values and beliefs in the subconscious level.

Note: Imprinting can be beneficial to animals in the wild as they learn from their parents how to communicate with their species and to differentiate other species. This makes them intolerant to animals from another species, which can also protect them from predators.