What is agonistic behavior?

Answer 1

Agonistic behavior results in a contest which involves both threatening and submissive behavior between contestants who are competing for access to the same resource, such as food or a mate. Sometimes it involves tests of strength or the contestants engage in threatening displays that make them look large or fierce, often with exaggerated posturing and vocalizations, such as a dog growling and bearing teeth or when defeated, tucking in their tail and looking away.

The behavior sometimes involves a ritual, use of symbolic activity with no harm done to either participant. The degree of the ritual depends on the scarcity of the resource competed for.

Answer 2

Agonistic behavior refers to various social interactions between animals that involve displays of aggression, submission, threat, or combat. These behaviors are often observed during competition for resources, such as food, mates, or territory, and play an essential role in establishing social hierarchies and resolving conflicts within a group. Agonistic behavior can help individuals minimize physical harm and maintain social order.

Answer 3

Male eastern grey kangaroos often "box" in contests that determine which male is most likely to mate with an available female. Typically, one male snorts loudly before striking the other around the head and thought with his forelimbs. Further snorting and cuffing, as well as grappling, often follow. If the male under attack does not retreat, the fight may escalate, with each male balancing on his tail while attempting to kick his rival with the sharp toenails of a hind leg.