altricial

comparative more altricial · superlative most altricial

1. biologyHelpless at birth (of young animals); or having young which are helpless at birth.

   First, humans are altricial, with immature newborns and a long childhood.

   2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 281

   2 more examples

   Altricial young are typical among carnivores, which might be expected to be hampered in their hunting behaviour if the pregnant mother has to carry its young for a long period.

   2001, Gonyou, Keeling & Keeling, Social Behaviour in Farm Animals, CABI Publishing, published 2001, page 63

   First, compared to other species, babies are altricial, meaning that they are weak, undermuscled, fat, and uncoordinated (sorry, babies, but it's true).

   2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 5, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN

   Synonyms: altricious, nidicolous

plural altricials

1. Such an animal.