What Is Filial Imprinting

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Konrad Lorenz: Konrad Lorenz, was an Austrian ethologist (a scientist who studies animals in their natural environment) was one of the first to study this aspect of animal behaviour. Imprinting refers to an natural tendency for a young animal to follow a moving object with which it forms an attachment. Lorenz started his original observations with greylag goslings who were hatched by human keepers and did not interact with any other geese. He found that they followed after human beings in the way that goslings normally follow their parents. Types of imprinting: Filial Imprinting: The most commonly found form of imprinting is known as "filial imprinting." Filial imprinting occurs when a young animal recognises the characteristics of its parent.