altricial
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From modern Latin Altrices (a former division of birds), plural of altrix, the feminine of altor ‘nourisher’, from alere ‘nourish’.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /əlˈtrɪʃəl/
[edit] Adjective
altricial (comparative more altricial, superlative most altricial)
- (zoology) Helpless at birth (of young animals); or having young which are helpless at birth.
- 2001, Gonyou, Keeling & Keeling, Social Behaviour in Farm Animals, CABI Publishing, published 2001, page 63:
- Altricial young are typical among carnivores, which might be expected to be hampered in their hunting behaviour if the pregnant mother has to carry its young for a long period.
- 2001, Gonyou, Keeling & Keeling, Social Behaviour in Farm Animals, CABI Publishing, published 2001, page 63:
