as in parasitical
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Recent Examples of precocial
Hares are also born fully furred and with their eyes open, a trait called precocial, whereas rabbits are born hairless, blind, and vulnerable, needing more parental care in the early stages of life.
—
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Comparison with avian brain evolution suggests that placental brain size should be constrained due to placentals’ relative precociality, as has been hypothesized for precocial bird hatchlings.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Sep. 2010
Ducks are what scientists call precocial birds — capable of feeding, swimming and walking soon after hatching.
—New York Times, 22 June 2022
Godwits and most other ground nesters, on the other hand, are precocial birds.
—Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Game birds, precocial, have larger clutches because the young, feathered and out of the nest upon hatching, are more subject to predation.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021
The opposite are precocial birds, birds that hatch with feathers and are mobile and ready to go shortly after emerging from the egg.
—Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2017
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Comparison with avian brain evolution suggests that placental brain size should be constrained due to placentals’ relative precociality, as has been hypothesized for precocial bird hatchlings.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Sep. 2010
Ducks are what scientists call precocial birds — capable of feeding, swimming and walking soon after hatching.
—New York Times, 22 June 2022
Godwits and most other ground nesters, on the other hand, are precocial birds.
—Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Game birds, precocial, have larger clutches because the young, feathered and out of the nest upon hatching, are more subject to predation.
—Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021
The opposite are precocial birds, birds that hatch with feathers and are mobile and ready to go shortly after emerging from the egg.
—Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precocial
Adjective
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His future with the franchise is likely dependent on whether guys higher up on the pecking order end up elsewhere rather than his own play.—
Danny Leroux,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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This is because a planet's altitude in the sky is dependent in part on the inclination of the ecliptic relative to the horizon, which shifts throughout the year due to Earth's wobbling orbit.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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After all, these predators inhabit deep, cold, dark waters — some as frigid as 30°F (-1.1°C) and as deep as 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) — and many have parasitic copepods attached to their corneas and sometimes even their butts.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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The uncertainty of global tariffs, exploding trade war with China, and endless attacks on European nations as parasitic leeches on the U.S. economy mark the demise of the trans-Atlantic alliance.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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While studies have found that bed bugs have been on Earth since the dinosaurs, the estimated 90 species of the arthropods shared a fairly stable symbiotic relationship with their hosts – until human ancestors began forming societies and living in close proximity.—
Bronwyn Thompson,
New Atlas,
28 May 2025
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The symbiotic relationship with their home anemone is another reason why clownfish are so fascinating, said Versteeg.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precocial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precocial. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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