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Eclosion

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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

Synonyms

Hatching; Spawning

Definition

Eclosion is the act of emerging from the egg.

Introduction

Oviparity is by far the widest way for an individual to brood in animal kingdom; with some exceptions, invertebrates, lower vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, fish), and birds are oviparous. From a cognitive standpoint, embryos in eggs are generally much more exposed to external sensory information than in viviparous species, the embryos of which receive buffered inputs through their mother. To adequately respond to environmental pressure at hatching (relevant abiotic conditions, finding food, and avoiding predators), siblings of oviparous species have three sources of information: (1) from their mother (from egg formation to incubation and hatching), (2) from their own prenatal sensory experience, and (3) from their own perception of surroundings at eclosion. In addition, direct parental guidance in the peri-hatching period would enhance the development of cognitive skills in numerous...

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Correspondence to Ludovic Dickel .

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Dickel, L., Darmaillacq, A.S. (2017). Eclosion. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_493-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_493-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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