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Asymmetries in postural control and locomotion in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes )
Author(s) -
Morcillo Ana,
FernandezCarriba Samuel,
Loeches Angela
Publication year - 2006
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.20280
Subject(s) - sitting , troglodytes , psychology , bipedalism , physical medicine and rehabilitation , population , laterality , developmental psychology , biology , medicine , anatomy , ecology , environmental health , pathology
Posture and locomotion are two of the most primitive and basic motor manifestations of an organism's behavior. Although the restrictions they impose on other motor functions are evident, few studies have considered the possibility of asymmetries in these behaviors in human and nonhuman primates, and how they might impact other asymmetries at higher functional levels. The aim of the current study was to explore in a group of 10 chimpanzees at the Madrid Zoo‐Aquarium the degree of asymmetry in four behaviors related to locomotion ( walking , ascending , descending , and brachiating ) and four behaviors associated with posture ( sitting , lying , hanging , and changing postures ). Few subjects showed individual preferences, but significant trends in the group for some of the behaviors were found, including right‐hand use when initiating quadruped walking , and left‐hand use when descending and hanging . Some significant correlations also emerged: a negative one between walking and descending , and a positive one between walking and brachiating and between sitting and changing postures . No correlations were found between locomotor and postural modes. Although we cannot make generalizations on the population level at this time, these findings highlight the importance of considering postural and locomotion factors when studying motor asymmetries in primates. Am. J. Primatol. 68:802–811, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.