Chicks were born instinctively to avoid danger from predators

According to a study by Trento University and Queen Mary University, London, chicks are born with the knowledge to flee predators rather than learn it from experience.

The researchers also discovered that newborn chicks slowed down or stopped moving to avoid being noticed when a predator was far away .

The study, published in PNAS, shows that these reactions do not require learning, but were known to chicks before their birth.

Dr Elisabetta Versace, co-author of the research from Queen Mary University, London, said: "Our results show that at the beginning of life, animals are well equipped to deal with threats in their environment, there are some tendencies that help them to survive ".

As soon as they hatched, the chicks learned to run away from the oncoming threats.

Professor Vallortigara, head of research at Trento University, said: "Along with our previous studies on social trends that help chicks and humans interact with their social partners, Now it makes clear that we are not born as empty slabs, but with sophisticated mechanisms that allow us to use specific strategies in specific cases. 'Dr. Hébert, first author of the article, which has performed experiments from newborn animals to see how the different anti-predatory responses were born. "

The researchers conducted an experiment in which chicks had no chance of interacting with any moving objects when they hatched.

They pointed out that during the first encounter with the oncoming threat or the threat of long distance travel, the chicks responded appropriately. They flee from oncoming threats and slow down from remote threats.

The reason scientists do this experiment with chicks is because they can move and feed themselves from birth , unlike other animals that need parental care. Chicks also have a relatively mature sensory and motor system right after hatching.

Dr Marie Hebert, first author of the study from the University of Trento, said : "I am currently investigating which part of the chicken brain is triggered by these visual threats, focusing specifically on The cell structure is thought to play an important role in detecting threats and triggering defensive behaviors, in order to do so, I will combine behavioral experiments with cell activation signals. nerve in the brain ".

The use of animal models such as chicks can help scientists open the door to investigating molecular mechanisms as well as individual differences, which stand out in the reactions of humankind. and not humans, as well as the genetic and environmental bases of every living being.

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