Ritualized Behavior

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-024410",
  "term": "Ritualized Behavior",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "a behavior that once served its own purpose but has come to act as a signal about that purpose. For example, agonistic behaviors that substitute for physical contact and fighting, such as the erection of fins by fishes during displays, the yawn of baboons, the baring of teeth in dogs and wolves, the raising of fur in cats, and birds raising their feathers.",
  "references": [
    "NOAA Coral Reef Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/ritualized-behavior/"
}