Precocial

In biology, the term precocial refers to species in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. The opposite developmental strategy is called "altricial" where the young are born or hatched helpless. Extremely precocial species may be called "superprecocial". These three categories form a continuum, without distinct gaps between them. Precocial species are normally nidifugous, meaning that they leave the nest shortly after birth or hatching.

The span between precocial and altricial species is particularly broad in birds. Precocial birds are born with their eyes open. They are covered with downy feathers that soon grow to adult feathers after hatching. Birds of this kind can also swim and run much sooner after their birth than other birds, such as songbirds. Very precocial birds can be ready to leave the nest in a short period of time following hatching (e.g. 24 hours). Many precocial chicks are not independent in thermoregulation (the ability to regulate their own body temperatures), and they depend on the attending parent(s) to brood them with body heat for a short period of time. Precocial birds find their own food, sometimes with help or instruction from the parents. Examples of precocial birds include the domestic chicken, many species of ducks and geese, waders, rails and the hoatzin. The most extreme, superprecocial birds are certain species of the megapodes, where the newly hatched chicks dig themselves out of the nest mound without parental assistance, and are capable of flight on the same day they hatch.

Precocious (horse)

Precocious (foaled 4 April 1981) was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He raced only as a two-year-old, with his career being restricted to a period of less than four months between April and August 1983. After winning a highly competitive maiden race on his racecourse debut he went on to win the National Stakes, Norfolk Stakes, Molecomb Stakes and Gimcrack Stakes. In all, he was unbeaten in five races and was never seriously challenged. Shortly after his win in the Gimcrack he sustained an injury which ended his racing career. He stood as a breeding stallion in England and Sweden with moderate results and died in 2006.

Background

Precocious was a dark-coated bay horse with a broad white blaze and a white sock on his left hind foot bred by his owner, the Marquess of Tavistock at his Bloomsbury Stud at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. He was the eighth of fifteen foals produced by Tavistock's broodmare Mrs Moss: most of the her other winners were fast-maturing sprinters including Krayyan (National Stakes) and Pushy (Queen Mary Stakes), but the best of her offspring was probably Jupiter Island who won the Japan Cup as a seven-year-old in 1986. Precocious's sire Mummy's Pet, was a pure sprinter whose biggest wins came in the Flying Childers Stakes and Temple Stakes. Most of his best offspring were also sprinters, including Runnett (Haydock Sprint Cup), Mummy's Game (Temple Stakes), Tina's Pet (King George Stakes), Petorius (Temple Stakes), Colmore Row (Norfolk Stakes) and Chummy's Special (Norfolk Stakes).