TY - JOUR

T1 - Forelimb preference in quadrupedal marsupials and its implications for laterality evolution in mammals

AU - Giljov, Andrey

AU - Karenina, Karina

AU - Malashichev, Yegor

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Background: Acquisition 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. Results: In both species the direction of forelimb preferences was strongly sex-related. Male grey short-tailed opossums showe

AB - Background: Acquisition 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. Results: In both species the direction of forelimb preferences was strongly sex-related. Male grey short-tailed opossums showe

U2 - 10.1186/1471-2148-13-61

DO - 10.1186/1471-2148-13-61

M3 - Article

VL - 13

SP - 61

JO - BMC Ecology and Evolution

JF - BMC Ecology and Evolution

SN - 1471-2148

ER -