How
does this instinctive behavior help whoopers survive?
Wild
Whooping Cranes
When two baby cranes in a nest DO survive,
they can't waste time bickering, especially in years when food
is scarce. The smaller one (who hatched a day or two after the
bigger one) keeps out of the way. If the smaller one isn't careful,
the bigger one may grab it by the back of the neck, peck at
it, or chase it. But the smaller chick quickly figures out that
it's a good idea to simply avoid its big sister or brother so
it won't be hurt or killed.
Captive-raised
Whoopers
The baby cranes that were costume-raised
must deal with something that wild whooping cranes never do:
a whole group of other baby cranes. There's plenty of food for
all of them, but they still instinctively need to sort out who's
top dog — or rather, top bird. Each crane quickly learns
its place, so the whoopers don't waste precious time and energy
fighting!
Read
more about pecking order. >>
