While riding through the countryside one day, you happen to come upon a curious sight -- a chick following a group of ducklings and a mother duck. What could have happened to produce this strange sight?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon can be explained by imprinting, a form of learning in which a young animal, during a critical period early in life, forms an attachment to the first moving object it sees, which is often its mother. In this case, if the chick saw the mother duck as the first moving object after hatching, it would follow her, mistaking her for its mother.  Imprinting on the first moving object seen by the infants of some species occurs rapidly. This can be problematic if the first moving object is a member of another species.

While Riding Through the Countryside One Day, You Happen to Come