Name: imprinting and early animal bonding
Uploaded: 2019-03-11T09:21:38.000Z
Duration: 1 min 22 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

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New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science

High School

Life Science

ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

HS-LS2-8

Imprinting

Imprinting is the process by which some newborn animals and parents recognize each other and form a long-term bond. For example, mother sheep imprint onto their lambs during a critical period, within hours of birth, allowing them to identify and care for their own offspring within a large herd. Imprinting is always restricted to a brief critical period, shortly after birth or hatching.

For instance, in geese, goslings imprint onto their mother within their first day of life. Thereafter they will follow her whenever she moves.

If the mother is removed before hatching, goslings will imprint onto the first large moving object they&#39;re exposed to during their first day, even a person. Afterwards, they will always follow this imprinting stimulus and will ignore their biological mother.

Therefore, although the instinct to imprint is innate, the specific object of imprinting is a learned behavior based on exposure during the critical period. Imprinting is irreversible. Once the critical period ends, the object of imprinting can&#39;t be changed. Also, if there is no appropriate stimulus during this time window, the animal will not imprint at all.

By creating a strong long-lived bond, imprintin

imprinting

Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period. Once imprinting occurs, the bond established between the parents and their offspring is usually long-lasting.

<h4>Survival</h4>

Mother sheep imprint onto the scent of their lambs within a few hours after their birth. Since many females in the herd give birth at the same time of year, imprinting allows the mothers to selectively recognize and care for their lambs.

Imprinting also occurs in the opposite direction, with offspring imprinting onto their parents. This is particularly common in waterfowl, such as goslings (baby geese), which imprint onto their mother on the first day after hatching. Afterward, they follow the mother wherever she goes. This behavior allows the mother to protect her offspring and teach them the skills they need to survive.

<h4>Classic Work</h4>

In the 1930s, Konrad Lorenz showed that goslings imprint onto the first large, moving object they see during the critical period. In the absence of their mother, this object could be siblings, a person, or even an inanimate object. After that, they will always follow this substitute &ldquo;mother,&rdquo; called the imprinting stimulus, even when presented with their biological mother or other adult geese.

These experiments showed that the stimuli present in the environment determine the object of imprinting during the critical period. Therefore, imprinting results from a combination of the instinctive behavior to imprint and learning based on experience.

Imprinting occurs only within the critical period and cannot be changed after the critical period ends. This is why goslings that have imprinted onto a human will continue to follow the human later in life, even when exposed to their mother. If there is no appropriate imprinting stimulus during the critical period, the young animals will never imprint at all.

Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a ...

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KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

imprinting and early animal bonding

Imprinting is a form of early animal bonding seen in some newborn animals. It happens after brief exposure soon after birth or hatching. During this time, young animals form a strong and specific attachment to another animal, usually a parent.

This early window is called the critical period. Once imprinting happens, the bond is usually long-lasting. In many cases, the young animal will keep that attachment even after the critical period ends.

Imprinting helps animals survive. Mother sheep can imprint on the scent of their lambs within a few hours after birth. This is useful because many females in a herd give birth around the same time, so the mother can recognize and care for her own lamb.

Imprinting can also work in the other direction. Goslings, or baby geese, often imprint on their mother on the first day after hatching. After that, they follow her wherever she goes. This lets the mother protect them and teach them the skills they need to survive.

Konrad Lorenz showed a classic example in the 1930s. He found that goslings imprint on the first large, moving object they see during the critical period. If their mother is absent, that object may be a sibling, a person, or even an inanimate object. The goslings then follow that substitute mother, called the imprinting stimulus, even when their biological mother or other adult geese are present.

These experiments showed that the environment helps determine the object of imprinting during the critical period. Imprinting therefore combines an instinctive behavior with learning from experience. If the right imprinting stimulus is missing during the critical period, the young animal may never imprint at all.

Imprinting and Early Animal Bonding

types of behavior

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Stickleback Courtship and Attack Signals

A fixed action pattern is a hard-wired behavior sequence that starts when an animal detects a sign stimulus. The behavior is fixed because it stays the same across individuals of a species. It is innate, so the animal is born with the ability to do it and does not need to learn it. Nikolaas Tinbergen described a classic fixed action pattern in three-spined stickleback fish in the 1930s. During breeding season, male sticklebacks develop a red throat and belly and build a nest. They use a...

Imprinting is a form of early animal bonding seen in some newborn animals. It happens after brief exposure soon after birth or hatching. During this time, young animals form a strong and specific attachment to another animal, usually a parent. This early window is called the critical period. Once imprinting happens, the bond is usually long-lasting. In many cases, the young animal will keep that attachment even after the critical period ends. Imprinting helps animals survive. Mother sheep can...

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parental care

How Animals Care for Their Young

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altruism

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inclusive fitness

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key terms and concepts

Explore how imprinting helps newborn animals form lasting bonds during a critical period, with examples from lambs, goslings, and Konrad Lorenz.

Imprinting and Early Animal Bonding | JoVE K12

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HS-LS4-2

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Imprinting and Early Animal Bonding

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