Abstract
Many hypotheses have been proposed linking the emergence of lateralized activities—such as handedness—in primates, with hemispheric specialization and the evolution of complex communication such as human language. Although data to test these ideas are rapidly accumulating for many primate taxa, some species are still largely unexplored, especially under natural conditions. I present the first data on a population of wild siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus), highly arboreal small apes. Preference for the left hand is shown both at the individual and population levels for a complex manual task: collecting and drinking water from tree holes. There was no difference in hand preference between males and females, and immature individuals showed more variable patterns than adults. These results are consistent with the postural origins theory, allow a new interpretation of the findings of comparable studies, and indicate a useful behavior for future investigations of laterality in wild primates.
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Acknowledgments
I thank Susan Cachel for introducing me to this fascinating field, and Martha K. Holder, Joanna Setchell, and William Hopkins for helpful and insightful comments to the manuscript. I thank Claudia Barelli, Laura Muniz, Montserrat Soler, Emily Aronoff, and Ryne Palombit for valuable suggestions and my research assistants Laji, Tarmin, Usman, Maryadi, Mislan, and Budi for their expert, enthusiastic, and professional collaboration in the jungle. I gratefully acknowledge the National Science Foundation (Grant ID 0726022) and Wenner-Gren Foundation (Grant 7766) for funding my research project, and the State Ministry of Research and Technology and Forestry Department of Indonesia for permission to conduct research in Sumatra.
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Morino, L. Left-hand Preference for a Complex Manual Task in a Population of Wild Siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus). Int J Primatol 32, 793–800 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-011-9501-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-011-9501-3