TY - JOUR

T1 - Early Expression of Manual Lateralization in Bipedal Marsupials

AU - Giljov, Andrey

AU - Karenina, Karina

AU - Ingram, Janeane

AU - Malashichev, Yegor

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Robust lateralization in forelimb use has recently been found in bipedal, but not quadrupedal, marsupial mammals. The link between bipedality and handedness, occurring in both marsupials and primates, remains to be investigated. To shed light on the developmental origins of marsupial manual lateralization, infants of macropod marsupials were examined before and shortly after the acquisition of habitual bipedal posture and locomotion. Forelimb preferences were assessed in natural, not artificially evoked, behaviors of infant red-necked wallaby in the wild and infant eastern gray kangaroo in free-ranging captivity. Pouch young of both species showed population-level left-forelimb preference when manipulating food objects, such as leaves and grass blades. This result provides the first report of lateralization in pouch young marsupials and rare evidence of lateralized manual activity in early mammalian ontogenesis. Young-at-foot juveniles of eastern gray kangaroo preferred to use the left forelimb to manipulate

AB - Robust lateralization in forelimb use has recently been found in bipedal, but not quadrupedal, marsupial mammals. The link between bipedality and handedness, occurring in both marsupials and primates, remains to be investigated. To shed light on the developmental origins of marsupial manual lateralization, infants of macropod marsupials were examined before and shortly after the acquisition of habitual bipedal posture and locomotion. Forelimb preferences were assessed in natural, not artificially evoked, behaviors of infant red-necked wallaby in the wild and infant eastern gray kangaroo in free-ranging captivity. Pouch young of both species showed population-level left-forelimb preference when manipulating food objects, such as leaves and grass blades. This result provides the first report of lateralization in pouch young marsupials and rare evidence of lateralized manual activity in early mammalian ontogenesis. Young-at-foot juveniles of eastern gray kangaroo preferred to use the left forelimb to manipulate

KW - motor laterality

KW - macropod marsupial

KW - food manipulation

KW - postural effect

KW - bipedalism

U2 - 10.1037/com0000073

DO - 10.1037/com0000073

M3 - Article

VL - 131

SP - 225

EP - 230

JO - Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)

JF - Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)

SN - 0735-7036

IS - 3

ER -