Feeding behaviour of free-ranging walruses with notes on apparent dextrality of flipper use

Levermann, Nette; Galatius, Anders; Ehlme, Göran; Rysgaard, Søren; Born, Erik W.

doi:10.1186/1472-6785-3-9

Cited by 49 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…At least one study has shown a slight right-hand advantage for rhesus monkeys but no bias in capuchins [23]. It is not restricted to primates; for example, some 77% of walruses display a preference for the right flipper when feeding [24]. Some creatures, though, are clearly left-handed-or left-"limbed."…”

Section: Handednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Asymmetries Evolved: Hearts, Brains, and Molecules

Corballis

2021

Symmetry

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Humans belong to the vast clade of species known as the bilateria, with a bilaterally symmetrical body plan. Over the course of evolution, exceptions to symmetry have arisen. Among chordates, the internal organs have been arranged asymmetrically in order to create more efficient functioning and packaging. The brain has also assumed asymmetries, although these generally trade off against the pressure toward symmetry, itself a reflection of the symmetry of limbs and sense organs. In humans, at least, brain asymmetries occur in independent networks, including those involved in language and manual manipulation biased to the left hemisphere, and emotion and face perception biased to the right. Similar asymmetries occur in other species, notably the great apes. A number of asymmetries are correlated with conditions such as dyslexia, autism, and schizophrenia, and have largely independent genetic associations. The origin of asymmetry itself, though, appears to be unitary, and in the case of the internal organs, at least, may depend ultimately on asymmetry at the molecular level.

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Section: Handednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Asymmetries Evolved: Hearts, Brains, and Molecules

Corballis

2021

Symmetry

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“…At the same time, there is a growing body of evidence showing manual laterality in other mammalian groups. For instance, limb preferences at individual and/or group levels in various species-typical motor activities have been described in rodents (Mongolian gerbils [10], mice and rats [11-14]), carnivores (black bears [15], domestic cats [16-20], and dogs [21-24]), ungulates (horses [25-28], plains zebras and impalas [29], donkeys [30]), bats (Schreiber’s long-fingered bat [31]) and even in marine mammals such as pinnipeds (walruses [32]) and cetaceans (humpback whales [33], bottlenose dolphins [34], and Commerson’s dolphins [35]). Thus, some kind of phylogenetic continuity in the evolution of motor lateralization in mammals could be traced [36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forelimb preferences in quadrupedal marsupials and their implications for laterality evolution in mammals

2013

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BackgroundAcquisition of upright posture in evolution has been argued to facilitate manual laterality in primates. Owing to the high variety of postural habits marsupials can serve as a suitable model to test whether the species-typical body posture shapes forelimb preferences in non-primates or this phenomenon emerged only in the course of primate evolution. In the present study we aimed to explore manual laterality in marsupial quadrupeds and compare them with the results in the previously studied bipedal species. Forelimb preferences were assessed in captive grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) and sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) in four different types of unimanual behaviour per species, which was not artificially evoked. We examined the possible effects of sex, age and task, because these factors have been reported to affect motor laterality in placental mammals.ResultsIn both species the direction of forelimb preferences was strongly sex-related. Male grey short-tailed opossums showed right-forelimb preference in most of the observed unimanual behaviours, while male sugar gliders displayed only a slight, not significant rightward tendency. In contrast, females in both species exhibited consistent group-level preference of the left forelimb. We failed to reveal significant differences in manual preferences between tasks of potentially differing complexity: reaching a stable food item and catching live insects, as well as between the body support and food manipulation. No influence of subjects’ age on limb preferences was found.ConclusionsThe direction of sex-related differences in the manual preferences found in quadrupedal marsupials seems to be not typical for placental mammals. We suggest that the alternative way of interhemispheric connection in absence of corpus callosum may result in a fundamentally distinct mechanism of sex effect on limb preferences in marsupials compared to placentals. Our data confirm the idea that non-primate mammals differ from primates in sensitivity to task complexity. Comparison of marsupial species studied to date indicate that the vertical body orientation and the bipedalism favor the expression of individual– and population–level forelimb preferences in marsupials much like it does in primates. Our findings give the first evidence for the effect of species-typical posture on the manual laterality in non-primate mammals.

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“…This may generalize to other species. For example, Levermann et al (2003) reported that some 77 per cent of walruses show a preference for the right flipper when feeding. The direction of the asymmetry may vary between species, though, since Sovrano (2007) reported a left-forelimb feeding bias in toads.…”

Section: Laterality In Non-human Species (A) Handednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution and genetics of cerebral asymmetry

Corballis

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

235

167

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Handedness and cerebral asymmetry are commonly assumed to be uniquely human, and even defining characteristics of our species. This is increasingly refuted by the evidence of behavioural asymmetries in non-human species. Although complex manual skill and language are indeed unique to our species and are represented asymmetrically in the brain, some non-human asymmetries appear to be precursors, and others are shared between humans and non-humans. In all behavioural and cerebral asymmetries so far investigated, a minority of individuals reverse or negate the dominant asymmetry, suggesting that such asymmetries are best understood in the context of the overriding bilateral symmetry of the brain and body, and a trade-off between the relative advantages and disadvantages of symmetry and asymmetry. Genetic models of handedness, for example, typically postulate a gene with two alleles, one disposing towards right-handedness and the other imposing no directional influence. There is as yet no convincing evidence as to the location of this putative gene, suggesting that several genes may be involved, or that the gene may be monomorphic with variations due to environmental or epigenetic influences. Nevertheless, it is suggested that, in behavioural, neurological and evolutionary terms, it may be more profitable to examine the degree rather than the direction of asymmetry.

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Feeding behaviour of free-ranging walruses with notes on apparent dextrality of flipper use

Cited by 49 publications

References 26 publications

How Asymmetries Evolved: Hearts, Brains, and Molecules

How Asymmetries Evolved: Hearts, Brains, and Molecules

Forelimb preferences in quadrupedal marsupials and their implications for laterality evolution in mammals

The evolution and genetics of cerebral asymmetry

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