Generalization to Avoid Predators

For animals to avoid predators and stay safe, they need to be able to identify which other animals might be dangerous predators. Animals can sometimes recognize new predators by their similarity to predators they are familiar with. This phenomenon is known as generalization. When they encounter an unfamiliar animal that has the same characteristics as a known predator, they generalize by behaving the same way they would to avoid the known predator. An animal's ability to generalize can vary based on how similar the unfamiliar animals are to the original predators; the more similar they are, the more likely the animal is to generalize.