Altricial facts for kids
Altricial, meaning "requiring care", refers to a group or kind of creature that is incapable of moving around on its own soon after hatching or being born. The word is derived from the Latin root alere meaning "to nurse, to rear, or to nourish", which means that young has to be taken care of for a long time before it can overcome its helplessness.
Birds or mammals which need much less care after birth are called precocial, meaning they are precocious.
Images for kids
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A diagram of altricial and precocial bird species.
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California quail chick (Callipepla californica), a precocial chick
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A human baby. Humans are among the best-known altricial organisms.
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Altricial Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.