Vertebrate whole‐body‐action asymmetries and the evolution of right handedness: A comparison between humans and marine mammals

MacNeilage, Peter F.

doi:10.1002/dev.21114

Cited by 34 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Cerebral asymmetry itself is pervasive in the animal kingdom (Rogers et al, 2013). A general left-hemispheric bias for action dynamics exists in many species, including marine animals and some primates (MacNeilage, 2013). Conversely, a right-hemisphere dominance for emotion seems to be present in all primates so far investigated, suggesting an evolutionary continuity going back at least 30 to 40 million years (Lindell, 2013).…”

Section: The Evolutionary Trade-offmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Lateralized Brain Circuits

Corballis

2017

Front. Psychol.

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In the vast clade of animals known as the bilateria, cerebral and behavioral asymmetries emerge against the backdrop of bilateral symmetry, with a functional trade-off between the two. Asymmetries can lead to more efficient processing and packaging of internal structures, but at the expense of efficient adaptation to a natural world without systematic left-right bias. Asymmetries may arise through the fissioning of ancestral structures that are largely symmetrical, creating new circuits. In humans these may include asymmetrical adaptations to language and manufacture, and as one or other hemisphere gains dominance for functions that were previously represented bilaterally. This is best illustrated in the evolution of such functions as language and tool manufacture in humans, which may derive from the mirror-neuron system in primates, but similar principles probably apply to the many other asymmetries now evident in a wide range of animals. Asymmetries arise in largely independent manner with multi-genetic sources, rather than as a single over-riding principle.

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Section: The Evolutionary Trade-offmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Lateralized Brain Circuits

Corballis

2017

Front. Psychol.

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“…A general left-hemispheric bias for action dynamics exists in other species, including marine animals and some primates (MacNeilage, 2013), and probably preceded the fissioning into separate specialized networks for gesture, language, and tool use in hominin evolution. Conversely, a right-hemisphere dominance for emotion seems to be present in all primates so far investigated, suggesting an evolutionary continuity going back at least 30e40 million years (Lindell, 2013).…”

Section: Lateralizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of language: Sharing our mental lives

Corballis

2017

Journal of Neurolinguistics

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“…MacNeilage et al (2009) posited that the left hemisphere originally was involved with patterns of behavior whereas the right was for detecting and responding to unexpected stimuli [ 19 ]. MacNeilage (2013) [ 20 ] went on to investigate asymmetries in marine mammals and to compare that to trends of laterality in humans. They found biases not unlike human handedness and that marine mammals, humans, and other primates all may have a left hemisphere specialization for spatial action and movement [ 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Note on Suckling Behavior and Laterality in Nursing Humpback Whale Calves from Underwater Observations

Zoidis¹,

Lomac-MacNair²

2017

Animals

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Simple SummaryNursing in large baleen whales and specifically the humpback whale is not well documented and difficult to capture in real time. Using underwater video documentation techniques, we collected digital video footage of humpback whale nursing events. From this, we provide an enhanced descriptive account of humpback whale suckling and recorded milk in the water near a nursing mother and calf column for the first time. As part of our investigation into nursing behaviors, we assessed if humpback calves demonstrated any patterns of laterality during nursing events. A pattern of laterality was noted in that all suckling events had a right side bias. Nursing bouts were short and intermittent, which coincides with what is known of larger terrestrial mammals such as the African elephant and other baleen whales. These shorter nursing periods are likely are due to the energetics of baleen whale milk coupled with the calf′s short respiration cycle before it has to return to the surface to breathe. Our study shows that underwater observations in marine mammal science provide valuable insight into real time events not easily accessible from vessel or aerial platforms.AbstractWe investigated nursing behavior on the Hawaiian breeding grounds for first year humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calves. We observed and video-documented underwater events with nursing behavior from five different whale groups. The observed nursing events include behaviors where a calf positions itself at a 30–45° angle to the midline of the mother’s body, with its mouth touching her mammary slit (i.e., suckling position). On two occasions, milk in the water column was recorded in close proximity to a mother/calf pair, and on one occasion, milk was recorded 2.5 min after suckling observed. Nursing events, where the calf was located in the suckling position, were found to be short in duration with a mean of 30.6 s (range 15.0–55.0, standard deviation (SD) = 16.9). All observations of the calf in the suckling position (n = 5, 100%) were with the calf located on the right side of the mother, suggesting a potential for right side laterality preference in the context of nursing behavior. Our study provides insight into mother/calf behaviors from a unique underwater vantage. Results supplement previous accounts of humpback whale nursing in Hawaiian waters, validate mother/calf positioning, document milk in the water column, and introduce the potential for laterality in nursing behavior for humpback whale calves.

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Vertebrate whole‐body‐action asymmetries and the evolution of right handedness: A comparison between humans and marine mammals

Cited by 34 publications

References 78 publications

The Evolution of Lateralized Brain Circuits

The Evolution of Lateralized Brain Circuits

The evolution of language: Sharing our mental lives

A Note on Suckling Behavior and Laterality in Nursing Humpback Whale Calves from Underwater Observations

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