Hand preference and tool use in wild chimpanzees |
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Authors: | Yukimaru Sugiyama Takao Fushimi Osamu Sakura Tetsuro Matsuzawa |
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Institution: | (1) Present address: Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, 484 Aichi, Japan;(2) Present address: Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Machida, 194 Tokyo, Japan |
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Abstract: | The hand preference of chimpanzees in their natural habitat was studied at Bossou, Republic of Guinea, West Africa. The quantitative
difference in left/right hand use was small in food picking and carrying. In contrast, the chimpanzees employed either the
right or left hand in nutcracking behavior using a pair of stones. All adults and many adolescents and juveniles utilized
one hand exclusively for holding a hammer stone. Left hand preference was more prevalent among adults. However, when adolescents
and juveniles were included, there was no significant bias in the ratio of left/right handers. Nut-cracking behavior requires
long-term learning of the fine manipulation of stones and nuts by both hands. Each hand has a separate role, and the hands
work together in nut cracking. The differential and complementary use of both hands may be a prime factor promoting exclusive
hand preference in chimpanzees comparable to that of humans. |
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Keywords: | Chimpanzee Hand preference Laterality Tool use Stone tool Nut cracking Food picking Bossou (Guinea) |
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