Altriciality

Altriciality is a reproductive strategy in which offspring are born or hatched underdeveloped and depend on substantial parental care. It contrasts with precocial development, in which young are relatively mature and mobile.

Precociality: A developmental strategy in which offspring are relatively mature and mobile soon after birth or hatching. It is the principal developmental contrast to altriciality.
Embryonic development: The process by which an embryo grows and differentiates before birth or hatching. Altricial young complete more of their growth and maturation after this stage.
Human infant: A human child from birth through the first year of life. Human newborns are exceptionally dependent and continue substantial brain and motor development after birth.
Brood size: The number of offspring produced or raised in one reproductive attempt. The effort required by altricial young can constrain how many offspring parents raise at once.
Parental investment: The time, energy, and resources parents contribute to offspring that can affect their survival and future reproduction. Altricial young require unusually substantial investment after birth or hatching.
Gestation: The period of development inside a pregnant animal before birth. In mammals, gestation length helps determine how developed offspring are at birth.
Altricial bird: A bird whose hatchlings are poorly developed and typically remain in the nest under parental care. Nest-bound songbird chicks provide a familiar example of altriciality.
Offspring survival: The probability that young survive to a specified age or life stage. Dependence makes survival especially sensitive to parental presence and care.
Life history theory: A framework for explaining how organisms allocate resources among growth, survival, and reproduction. It situates developmental strategy within broader evolutionary trade-offs.
Incubation: The maintenance of eggs under conditions that support embryonic development until hatching. Birds with altricial hatchlings often continue intensive care after incubation ends.

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