How Do Baby Animals Learn to Fly, Swim and Hunt in the Wild?

Not only humans have to learn — in the wild, there are no days off either. Latvian Radio's programme "Zināmais nezināmajā" featured several experts discussing how wild animal and bird offspring acquire the skills needed for survival.

The discussion included Inta Lange, a representative of the Latvian National Museum of Natural History and a zoologist, zoologist Vilnis Skuja, and ornithologist Ance Priedniece, a representative of the Latvian Ornithological Society.

The experts explained that from the moment of birth, young animals and birds find themselves in an environment where the skills they acquire — whether flying, swimming or hunting — play a decisive role in their survival. Unlike many everyday human learning processes, in the wild these skills must be mastered within a relatively short time, since the survival of the young depends directly on it.

"Zināmais nezināmajā" is a Latvian Radio programme that regularly covers topics from the natural sciences, explaining complex phenomena to listeners in a simple and accessible way. This particular episode focused on the developmental stage during which young animals and birds must acquire basic skills in order to survive in the wild.

The experts, representing both zoology and ornithology, shared their knowledge of how nature organises this learning process and why it is so important for the preservation of species.