%0 Journal Article %J J Hum Evol %D 2011 %T Hand preferences for coordinated bimanual actions in 777 great apes: implications for the evolution of handedness in hominins. %A Hopkins, William D %A Phillips, Kimberley A %A Bania, Amanda %A Calcutt, Sarah E %A Gardner, Molly %A Russell, Jamie %A Schaeffer, Jennifer %A Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V %A Ross, Stephen R %A Schapiro, Steven J %K Adaptation, Physiological %K Animals %K Biological Evolution %K Female %K Functional Laterality %K Hominidae %K Locomotion %K Male %K Posture %K Species Specificity %X

Whether or not nonhuman primates exhibit population-level handedness remains a topic of considerable scientific debate. Here, we examined handedness for coordinated bimanual actions in a sample of 777 great apes including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. We found population-level right-handedness in chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, but left-handedness in orangutans. Directional biases in handedness were consistent across independent samples of apes within each genus. We suggest that, contrary to previous claims, population-level handedness is evident in great apes but differs among species as a result of ecological adaptations associated with posture and locomotion. We further suggest that historical views of nonhuman primate handedness have been too anthropocentric, and we advocate for a larger evolutionary framework for the consideration of handedness and other aspects of hemispheric specialization among primates.

%B J Hum Evol %V 60 %P 605-11 %8 2011 May %G eng %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21334723 %N 5 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21334723?dopt=Abstract %R 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.12.008