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Hand preferences in captive gorillas, orang‐utans and gibbons
Author(s) -
Olson David A.,
Ellis Jane E.,
Nadler Ronald D.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/ajp.1350200203
Subject(s) - gorilla , pongo pygmaeus , hylobates , pongidae , preference , task (project management) , hominidae , population , biology , zoology , ecology , mathematics , biological evolution , demography , statistics , paleontology , genetics , management , sociology , economics
Hand preference was assessed in 12 gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ), 13 orang‐utans ( Pongo pygmaeus abelii ), and 9 gibbons ( Hylobates lar ) by using a floor retrieval task and a mesh retrieval task. Hand preference was also assessed in 8 gorillas and 8 orang‐utans by using a task involving the unfastening of a hasp. A bipedal requirement during testing (mesh retrieval task) facilitated detection of hand preferences. A significant left‐hand preference was found for the gibbons with 6 of 6 gibbons preferring their left hand on the mesh retrieval task. Similarly, a significant right‐hand preference was found for the gorillas with 10 of 12 gorillas preferring their right hand on the mesh retrieval task. The data for the orang‐utan suggest a bimodal distribution on all tasks. Since the gibbon and gorilla in the wild engage in bipedal locomotion more frequently than the orangutan, one possible interpretation for these results correlates the degree of bipedal behavior of a species in its natural environment with its readiness to exhibit a unilateral population‐level hand preference.