siblicide

From sibli(ng) +‎ -cide (suffix meaning ‘killing; killer’).^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪblɪsaɪd/

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• Hyphenation: sib‧li‧cide

siblicide (countable and uncountable, plural siblicides)

1. (chiefly zoology) The killing of a sibling, especially as observed among certain species of animals.
   • 1981 winter, Ralph W. Schreiber, “Book Review: The Eastern Bering Sea Shelf: Oceanography and Resources, 1981. Edited by D. W. Hood and J. A. Calder. 2 Volumes. 1339 pp. Available from the University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA 98105. $65.00/volume.”, in Pacific Seabird Group Bulletin, volume 8, number 2, Stinson Beach, Calif.: Pacific Seabird Group, →OCLC, page 111:

     I continue to question the interpretation of "fatal sibling aggression" and active brood reduction as a means of maximizing productivity […]. To me, the data clearly indicate a simple response to food availability, with the oldest young passively out-competing its smaller sibling for a limited resource. I still have not seen data to support "siblicide" as a strategy.

   • 1988, John P. Wourms, Bryon D. Grove, Julian Lombardi, “The Maternal–Embryonic Relationship in Viviparous Fishes”, in W. S. Hoar, D. J. Randall, editors, Fish Physiology, volumes XI (The Physiology of Developing Fish), part B (Viviparity and Posthatching Juveniles), San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press, →ISBN, page 43:

     Oophagy and adelphophagy, which are forms of embryonic cannibalism, occur in both cartilaginous and bony fishes. They are variations on the tactic of siblicide (Mock, 1984) as a reproductive strategy. In oophagy, embryos feed upon sibling eggs. […] Adelphophagy, literally eating one's brother, is also known in sharks as intrauterine embryonic cannibalism […].

   • 1994, L. Scott Forbes, Douglas W. Mock, “Proximate and Ultimate Determinants of Avian Brood Reduction”, in Stefano Parmigiani, Frederick S. vom Saal, editors, Infanticide and Parental Care  (Ettore Majorana International Life Sciences Series; 13), Chur, Switzerland, Camberwell, Victoria: Harwood Academic Publishers, →ISBN, page 245:

     Obligate siblicide is best known in various eagles, boobies, and pelicans. All lay two eggs, hatching is asynchronus, and usually the elder sib kills its younger sib soon after hatch. From the parent's perspective, the second egg/chick serves as insurance against the unexpected failure of the first […]. Interestingly, obligate siblicide seems to be independent of prevailing food at the time of the junior sibling[']s demise.

   • 1997, Douglas W. Mock, Geoffrey A[lan] Parker, The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution), Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 230:

     If siblicides are victim-based, a mother clearly cannot improve her fitness by producing fewer eggs. Less obviously, mothers may eventually be able to gain by laying more, until eventually they are constrained by the costs of eggs.

   • 2003, Rocky Underwood, “Family Homicide”, in edited by Eric Hickey, Encyclopedia of Murder & Violent Crime, Thousand Oaks, Calif., London: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, page 167, column 2:

     One of the more recent examinations of siblicide cases is [John M.] Dawson and [Patrick A.] Langan's Special Report on Murder in Families, published through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (1994). […] According to their findings, 85% of siblicide offenders and 73% of siblicide victims were male. […] Alcohol was reported to play a role in approximately one half of the siblicides in Dawson and Langan's study.

   • 2011, Steven Pinker, “The Pacification Process”, in The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, published 2012, →ISBN, page 39:

     Infanticide, siblicide, cannibalism, rape, and lethal combat have been documented in many kinds of animals.

• (in humans): fratricide (“killing of a brother”), sororicide (“killing of a sister”)

• siblicidal

• siblicide on Wikipedia.Wikipedia