Trophallaxis
Dogs
Trophallaxis
Trophallaxis is the regurgitation of food by one animal for
another. It is most highly developed in
social insects such as the
ants, in
which individual colony members store food in their crops and regularly
exchange it with other colony members and larvae to form a sort of
"communal stomach" for the hive. It is also used by some
vertebrates, such as
birds
feeding their young.
Trophallaxis is also performed by members of the
dog family. In the
wild, a hunting dog will regurgitate food gorged while far from its lair in
order to feed its puppies. These puppies lick the face of the adult in order to
trigger trophallaxis. Domestic dogs are tame because of arrested development of
their wild tendencies and will treat certain humans, in particular their owner,
as lifelong 'parents'. Therefore, when a dog licks your face, it's manifesting a
vestigial feeding instinct. Most human dog owners, however, have not mastered
the technique of performing trophallaxis when greeted by their pet, and nor do
most dog owners lick the faces of their pets in order to obtain food (although
in extreme circumstances this might be a useful survival tactic).
Trophallaxis serves as a means of
communication, at least in
bees.
See also
Home | Up | Alpha Roll | Dog Attack | Bark | Clicker | Clicker Training | Dog Collar | Animal Communication | Dog Communication | Coprophagia | Crate Training | Dog Aggression | Dog Trainer | Housebreaking | Dog Intelligence | The Intelligence of Dogs | Obedience School | Obedience Training | Operant Conditioning | Prey Drive | Socialization | Dog Society | Trophallaxis | Wardog | Dog Whistle
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