Question

What does it mean when we say an animal is risk averse?

Answer 1

Animals, like humans, in their daily lives face situations which may entail risk taking. Activity in many different specific brain regions have been discovered to provide the neural bases for expression of risk taking and risk averse behavior. Ecological environments including foraging strategies of animals among other things afftect risk aversion or risk preference behavior. Risk aversive behaviors in the animal kingdom are thought to confer some evolutionary advantages. Generally, animal species feeding on more stable food resources are risk averse compard to those dependent on more variable and transient resources, the latter showing proneness to higher risk.

An animal being risk averse means it shows reluctance to activities involving risk such as risk-sensitive foraging behavior and rather goes for safe options.