Imprinting
Arianne Goode
Running With the Family
Imprinting on a parent or family member is ideal for a tiny animal. Having a close relative guide them throughout infancy would show animals how to behave like one of their own species. Knowing how to act without looking out of place is the finest situation for a little creature.
Photo: http://babyanimalz.com/2012/12/baby-lemur-and-his-mother/
A Bit of Motherly Love
Caring for one's child is always important. This feline cleans her kitten, showing her motherly tender and affection.
Out Exploring
Grasping a hold of its mother's back, this young koala gets a venture through the jungle. Experiencing this tour will help this little marsupial master the art of climbing in the future.
Hanging In There
Dangling from intertwined branches can be quite daunting, but this infant sloth is protected by its mother as she demonstrates how to maneuver around limbs.
Blood Doesn't Always Know Best
Naturally, we think that young animals always imprint on their family and never anyone else, copying their actions and doing exactly as they do: this isn't always the case, though. In fact, some animals will imprint on members of other species. Once an animal imprints, they will neither forget nor replace whom they have imprinted on.
Photo: http://barkpost.com/18-dogs-caring-for-other-baby-animals/
A Truly Unique Connection
Think about how peculiar it is for an animal to imprint on a member of another species. What's even more unusual, though, is when an animal imprints on a nonliving object: a stuffed animal, a vacuum cleaner, or anything else. Whatever the object, an animal that imprints on something inanimate will copy its actions, behaving just like it.
Sources
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1349539/animal-learning/13127/Imprinting
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/imprinting.aspx
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Imprinting
http://www.sparknotes.com/biology/animalbehavior/learning/section3.rhtml