Handedness in Captive Bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Harrison, Rebecca; Nystrom, Pia

doi:10.1159/000113539

Cited by 30 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Curiously, one study of 22 bonobos, which along with common chimpanzees are our closest living nonhuman relatives, revealed no evidence for species-level handedness (Harrison & Nystrom 2008). Palmer (2002) has suggested that the findings of Hopkins and colleagues may be due to statistical artefacts, and has shown the results to be marginal when assessed using funnel plots, which show scatter plots of righthand use against sample size, although the more recent studies do reveal significant species-level right-handedness using this technique (e.g.…”

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

confidence: 99%

The evolution and genetics of cerebral asymmetry

Corballis

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

234

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

confidence: 99%

The evolution and genetics of cerebral asymmetry

Corballis

2008

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

234

167

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“…~90% right-handed) typical of humans [e.g., Annett, 1972;Raymond and Pontier, 2004;McManus, 2009]. Hand preference or laterality has been investigated in bonobos but almost exclusively in captive groups, and primarily involving unnatural objects and simple tasks such as reaching for food, gesturing or scratching [e.g., De Vleeschouwer et al, 1995;Hopkins and de Waal, 1995;Colell et al, 1995;Harrison and Nystrom, 2008]. In all of these studies, most bonobo individuals were non-lateralized (i.e., used both hands interchangeably) for most of the actions studied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nut‐cracking behaviour in wild‐born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand‐preference, hand grips and efficiency

Neufuss

Humle

Cremaschi

et al. 2016

American J Primatol

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There has been an enduring interest in primate tool-use and manipulative abilities, most often with the goal of providing insight into the evolution of human manual dexterity, right-hand preference, and what behaviours make humans unique. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are arguably the most well-studied tool-users among non-human primates, and are particularly wellknown for their complex nut-cracking behaviour, which has been documented in several West African populations. However, their sister-taxon, the bonobos (Pan paniscus), rarely engage in even simple tool-use and are not known to nut-crack in the wild. Only a few studies have reported tool-use in captive bonobos, including their ability to crack nuts, but details of this complex tool-use behaviour have not been documented before. Here, we fill this gap with the first comprehensive analysis of bonobo nut-cracking in a natural environment at the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eighteen bonobos were studied as they cracked oil palm nuts using stone hammers. Individual bonobos showed exclusive laterality for using the hammerstone and there was a significant group-level right-hand bias. The study revealed 15 hand grips for holding differently sized and weighted hammerstones, 10 of which had not been previously described in the literature. Our findings also demonstrated that bonobos select the most effective hammerstones when nut-cracking. Bonobos are efficient nutcrackers and not that different from the renowned nut-cracking chimpanzees of Bossou, Guinea, which also crack oil palm nuts using stones.

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“…Research on bonobos (Pan paniscus) has found little evidence for species-level handedness, though population-level handedness has been found for certain tasks, for example leading limb, reaching for food and gesturing (e.g. Hopkins et al 1993b;de Vleeschouwer et al 1995;Hopkins and de Waal 1995;Harrison and Nystrom 2008), and individual preferences have been found during tool use and feeding (Harrison and Nystrom 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handedness in captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla)

Harrison

Nystrom

2010

Primates

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Species-level right handedness is frequently presented as a marker of human uniqueness. Handedness also has implications for the evolution of language and cognition. In this study, we examined handedness in 22 captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) across a range of behaviours that were part of their daily routine. Ten individuals showed no preferences for any of the behaviours performed, and the majority of the remaining individuals showed a preference for only one behaviour. These results lend support to the theory that species-level handedness is unique to humans. It is hoped that these results will contribute to investigations into the evolution of handedness, which can ultimately be used to further our understanding of the evolution of human language and cognition.

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Handedness in Captive Bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Cited by 30 publications

References 48 publications

The evolution and genetics of cerebral asymmetry

The evolution and genetics of cerebral asymmetry

Nut‐cracking behaviour in wild‐born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand‐preference, hand grips and efficiency

Handedness in captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla)

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