Ritualized aggression is when animals use a range of behaviours as posture or warning but without engaging in actual aggression, which is expensive in terms of energy and the risk of injury. Ritualized aggression involves a graded series of behaviours or displays that include threatening gestures (such as vocalizations, spreading of wings or gill covers, lifting and presentation of claws, head bobbing, tail beating, lunging, etc.) and occasionally posturing physical actions such as inhibited (non-injurious) bites.

Examples

Cats

Domestic cats (''Felis catus'') are very territorial and defend their territories with ritualized body posturing, stalking, staring, spitting, yowling and howling.

Spider monkeys

Spider monkey Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Ateles'', part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The ...

s (genus ''Ateles'') defend their territory by screams, barks, rattling or dropping branches, and urinating and defecating on intruders below.

Oscar cichlids

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

cichlids (''Astronotus ocellatus'') are able to rapidly alter their colouration, a trait which facilitates ritualised territorial and combat behaviours amongst conspecifics. Individuals of another cichlid species, the blunthead cichlid (''

Tropheus moorii ''Tropheus moorii'' (blunthead cichlid) is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. Over 40 different color morphs of this species are dispersed throughout the lake, ranging from dark green to flame red and yellow. They mostl ...

''), defend their feeding territory with a display, quivering the tail and fins to intimidate, or an attack, darting at the intruder and chasing them away. ''

Astatotilapia burtoni ''Astatotilapia burtoni'' is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is found in Lake Tanganyika and its surrounding waterways, including parts of Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent r ...

'' cichlids have similar displays of aggressive behaviour if they are territorial, which include threat displays and chasing.

Ring-tailed lemur

Male ring-tailed lemurs have scent glands on their wrists, chests, and in the genital area. During encounters with rival males they may perform ritualized aggression by having a "stink fight". The males anoint their tails by rubbing the ends of their tails on the inside of their wrists and on their chests. They then arch their tails over their bodies and wave them at their opponent. The male toward which this is directed either responds with a display of his own, physical aggression, or flees. "Stink fights" can last from 10 minutes to one hour.

Creek chub

The creek chub (''

Semotilus atromaculatus ''Semotilus atromaculatus'', known as the creek chub or the common creek chub, is a small minnow, a freshwater fish found in the eastern US and Canada. Differing in size and color depending on origin of development, the creek chub can usually be ...

'') engages in ritualized aggression when others of the species invade its territory. Engaging in parallel swimming, the fish widens its fins and mouth and swims at a caudal fin beat. Intimidating opponent fish throughout these rituals, the forward fish stops and directs blows to the head of the other fish to ensure territory dominance.

References

{{cite web, url= http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/ring-tailed_lemur/behav, author=Cawthon Lang, K.A. , year=2005 , title=Primate Factsheets: Ring-tailed lemur (''Lemur catta'') Behavior , publisher=Wisconsin Primate Research Center (WPRC) , access-date=June 29, 2013 Ethology