In evolutionary terms, how do you explain how the CUCKOO passes on its behavioural patterns to its offspring ?

Question

Evolutional theory suggests that parents pass on the bulk of behavioural characteristics to their offspring. But cuckoos never see their offspring, so how did the cuckoo ever learn to behave the way it does in the first place?

Answer 1

I think some of the above responses fail to see the dilemma which this question poses. If cuckoos are supposed to act by instinct, how was the instinct ever instilled into them when they have never learned any behavioural patterns from their genetic parents. Genetics implies that learned behaviour can become instinctive over a period of several generations, but the offspring of the cuckoo never vary from their pattern of stealing another birs's next, no matter which species of bird has actually reared them as infants.
I can't explain how the cuckoo ever learned this pattern of behaviour (unless God told them !) so it poses a bit of a puzzler.
Got me stumped as well !

Answer 2

the completed element of instincts is they are behaviours that are no longer found out, yet are hardwired from delivery. So the toddler cuckoo would not could desire to make certain its determine to verify this behaviour. contemporary evolutionary concept would not in any respect recommend that fogeys pass on found out behaviours to their infants (different than culturally, of direction, and a few exciting reseach is being accomplished in this section approximately animals passing on cultural behaviours). this could be certainly one of those Lamarkism, an thought that replaced into conventional in the previous Darwin yet is now referred to as debunked. What are handed on are the instincts. If instincts are a results of the particular way the strategies is under pressure out, it quite is something that is inherited, and changed by using evolution over many generations in exactly a similar way that physique platforms are.

Answer 3

I don't know anything about cuckoos, but there are several mechanisms by which useful behavior can be observed in both parents and children, regardless of whether or not the children know the parents:

- instinct. The behavior is passed on genetically because it has reproductive benefit.

- learning from other memebrs of the species (which need not be just parents)

- learning from environmental observation/ trial and error. Similar individuals in similar environments would learn similar behaviors this way

Answer 4

It's pretty simple really. The cuckoo, as you know, lays it's egg in another bird's nest. It's simply a case of needing to lay an egg, so it finds any nest, and lays it there. It's not complicated, it doesn't need to be taught to lay an egg! We don't know if the cuckoo evolved the ability to chose another birds nest, or lost the ability to make one of it's own.

Answer 5

On the inside of the Cuckoo egg are written the words, and this is scientific fact;
'You are a Cuckoo and your purpose in life is to use your beak to make holes in trees'
The baby cuckoo reads this before he hatches and viola!
No only joking God made him like this. Honest the Bible says.
Well actually it does'nt .....come to think about it it does'nt explain a lot of things that would be nice to know. Its a very goal oriented read Beginning, End, lots of sex and death in the middle.
Often it reads like God is a 12 year old boy. Do what I say or i'll kill you, love me, I dont like girls they smell, sex sex sex.Big battle at the end. Hurrah!

Answer 6

same way a catepilar passes on to the Butterfly! Maturely

Answer 7

Boy oh boy.

When the smart stick was being brandished you were near the back of the queue.......

You almost make me question Evolution....

Answer 8

they are 'instinctively wise' Proverbs 30 verse 24

Answer 9

How do salmon 'know' to migrate to the stream they were born in?

Gad zoinks! Almost makes you think it's hardwired into our genes.

Answer 10

Maybe they're all neurotic. Mental illness can be passed through genes.