Behavioral Adaptation
Suckling
What is it and how does it help animals survive?
Suckling is to give milk from the breast or to suck from the breast. This helps organisms get the nutrition they need when they are a baby. Those nutrients help the baby grow and develop correctly. It helps the baby animals also learn how to imprint. If the baby is a female then suckling will help them understand a little bit on what to do whenever they have a baby.
Dogs Suckling
These baby dogs are getting the nutrients they need from suckling.
Suckling
A mother is feeding her young by letting them suckle.
Young cow suckling
This young cow is getting his food from his mother as he suckles.
Imprinting
Imprinting is a form of learning in which an animal at a specific critical time in it's life forms a social attachment to another object. The effects of the imprinting process carry over into the adult life of the animal as well. In many cases it has been shown that the object imprinted upon as a hatchling determines the mating and courtship behaviors of the adult. Many species will avoid social contact with animals dissimilar to the one to which they have imprinted. Under normal circumstances this helps prevent breeding between different species.
Imprinting
The ducks have imprinted on the man so now they follow him around like he is their mother.
Ducks
The ducks are imprinted to each other so they are now inseparable.
Imprinting
The ducks have imprinted on the dog so they now follow him around everywhere.