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In neonatal development the term superprecocial refers to a level of physical maturity and capability in young animals that is most extreme. Examples are the Megapode birds, which have full flight feathers and which, in some species, can fly on the same day they hatch from their eggs. Another example is the young of Blue Wildebeest which are capable of standing in seven minutes and run with the adults in under two hours. Superprecocial animals are even more capable than precocial animals. The opposite pattern of growth and development is called altricial, and is typified by birds that hatch blind, uncoordinated, featherless, and tiny.[1]

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References[]

  1. Starck, J.M.; Ricklefs, R.E. Avian Growth and Development. Evolution within the altricial precocial spectrum. Oxford University Press, New York, 1998.
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