among some male venomous snakes; they wrestle, but refrain from biting. Example: Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) Agonistic fighting for black mambas involves a wrestling match in which opponents attempt to pin each other's head repeatedly to the ground. Fights normally last a few minutes but can extend to over an hour. The purpose of fighting is to secure mating rights to receptive females nearby during the breeding season. Submissive behaviour Submissive behaviour involves an individual indicating by an act or posture that it will not challenge a dominant individual in a social group. Submissive behaviours are part of the maintenance of a dominance hierarchy of cooperating individuals in a social group that have overlapping but not entirely coincident interests. Example: Bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) Communication between animals is often achieved by adding a succession of behaviours to a display. Social interactions among bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) consist of a unique set of movements or visual signals. Waving is one of the most visible signs of submission one lizard can display to another. The lizard rests on three of its legs, raises one of the front arms and then slowly waves the arm in a circular motion. This circular motion, along with the dragon puffing up slightly, shows submission. This display is seen between opponents, as well as adolescents towards adults. See also References Ethology Articles containing video clips