Andrey Giljov (Gilev)

Saint Petersburg State University | SPBU

Recent studies have demonstrated a close resemblance between some handedness patterns in great apes and humans [1-3]. Despite this, comparative systematic investigations of manual lateralization in non-primate mammals are very limited [4, 5]. Among mammals, robust population-level handedness is still considered to be a distinctive human trait [6, 7...

Several anecdotal reports indicate that walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) occasionally attack seabirds, which potentially impacts local bird populations. However, the manner in which walruses interact with seabirds and the motivational basis of such interactions have not been investigated. Here, we describe and characterize the behaviour of wild Pacific...

Left-cradling bias is a distinctive feature of maternal behaviour in humans and great apes, but its evolutionary origin remains unknown. In 11 species of marine and terrestrial mammal, we demonstrate consistent patterns of lateralization in mother–infant interactions, indicating right hemisphere dominance for social processing. In providing clear e...

Current research suggests that hemispheric lateralization has significant fitness consequences. Foraging, as a basic survival function, is a perfect research model to test the fitness impact of lateralization. However, our understanding of lateralized feeding behavior is based predominantly on laboratory studies, while the evidence from wild animal...

Findings on nonprimate mammals place the issue of mother–infant lateralized relations in a broader context, demonstrating that humans are one of many species showing this feature. The remarkable interspecies consistency in the direction of lateralization points to a continuity between lateralized mother–infant interactions in primates and nonprimat...

The asymmetric use of nostrils and few contralateral projections in olfactory neural pathways allow us to suppose the dominance of one hemisphere in the processing of various odours in non-human mammals. Although olfaction is the most important sensory domain for many mammals, lateralization of this sense is poorly studied in this group of animals,...

В монографии обобщены результаты исследований роли межполушарной асимметрии в материнско-детских взаимоотношениях млекопитающих из различных таксономических групп. Приведён обзор и критический анализ односторонних предпочтений (латерализаций) в социальном поведении в целом и в поведении матерей и детёнышей в частности. Подробно описаны методика и р...

Visual lateralization arises from the differential processing of information by the two brain hemispheres and can manifest itself in animal behaviour in the form of lateral preferences. Current evidence suggests that social coordination serves as a driving force for the emergence of one‐sided behavioural preferences in the populations. Collective m...

Behavioural lateralization, which reflects the functional specializations of the two brain hemispheres, is assumed to play an important role in cooperative intraspecific interactions. However, there are few studies focused on the lateralization in cooperative behaviours of individuals, especially in a natural setting. In the present study, we inves...

Behavioural lateralization, which reflects the functional specializations of the two brain hemispheres, is assumed to play an important role in cooperative intraspecific interactions. However, there are few studies focused on the lateralization in cooperative behaviours of individuals, especially in a natural setting. In the present study, we inves...

The visual system and lifestyle characteristics make the even-toed ungulates an excellent model for the studies of behavioural lateralization. Recent research has focused on these mammals providing evidence of lateralization in a wide range of behaviours. This provides an opportunity for the collation of the current theoretical assumptions and the...

Left-eye preference, implicating right hemisphere advantage, is typical for vigilant behaviour of many vertebrates. Nevertheless, lateralization of vigilance may be manifested in other ways, such as different reactions to the danger viewed with the right and left eye. Here, we studied one-side biases in the orientation of white-fronted geese Anser...

Two brain hemispheres are unequally involved in the processing of social stimuli, as demonstrated in a wide range of vertebrates. A considerable number of studies have shown the right hemisphere advantage for social processing. At the same time, an approach–withdrawal hypothesis, mainly based on experimental evidence, proposes the involvement of bo...

Despite the abundant empirical evidence on lateralized social behaviours, a clear understanding of the relative roles of two brain hemispheres in social processing is still lacking. This study investigated visual lateralization in social interactions of free-ranging European bison (Bison bonasus). The bison were more likely to display aggressive re...

Preliminary estimation of one-sided population bias of neck-resting position of the Barnacle Goose. Abstract book: https://conference.eounion.org/2019/wp-content/uploads/EOU2019_abstracts.pdf

The monograph provides an overview of current data on the distribution and features of manifestation of lateral functions (asymmetry of use) of extremities in vertebrates and, in particular, in mammals. The monograph focuses on a detailed description of the lateralized functions of the forelimb in quadrupedal and bipedal marsupial mammals studied i...

Theoretical and empirical evidence suggest that socio-biological factors determine the expression of behavioural lateralization across species. One would expect the same association at the intraspecific level, that is, that the differences in social strategies of the two sexes entail the sex differences in the lateralized social processing. This st...

The manifestation of behavioural lateralization has been shown to be modified by environmental conditions, life experiences, and selective breeding. This study tests whether the lateralization recently found in feral domestic horse (Equus caballus) is evident in undomesticated horses. Mother-offspring interactions were investigated in Przewalski's...

The right hemisphere plays a crucial role in social processing. Human mothers show a robust left cradling/holding bias providing greater right-hemispheric involvement in the exchange of social information between mother and infant. Here, we demonstrate that a similar bias is evident in face-to-face spatial interactions in marine and terrestrial non...

Обнаружено единообразное для детёнышей всех исследованных видов предпочтение держать мать в поле зрения левого глаза как в рутинных, так и в связанных с беспокойством типах поведения.

Asymmetrical trunk use in elephants represents a distinctive example of motor lateralization. Previous studies have shown that trunk movements in the elephant behaviour associated with feeding is lateralized at the individual, but not the population level. The manifestation of lateralized behaviour depends on the nature of the behaviour and is usua...

Robust lateralization in forelimb use has recently been found in bipedal, but not quadrupedal, marsupial mammals. The link between bipedality and handedness, occurring in both marsupials and primates, remains to be investigated. To shed light on the developmental origins of marsupial manual lateralization, infants of macropod marsupials were examin...

Asymmetrical forelimb use is characteristic of many mammalian species. However, little is known about this phenomenon in cetaceans. We examined the asymmetry in pectoral flipper use by the wild orca Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758). During observations from motor boats in the Avachinskii Bay (East Kamchatka) we recorded the use of flippers in slapping...

Foraging behaviour of many cetacean species features the side biases at the population level. The origin of these behavioural lateralisations remains generally unclear. Here we explored lateralisation in aerial display of resident orcas in different behavioural contexts. Side preferences were analysed in lunging during foraging and breaching. One e...

(Table) Orcas individual lunging and breaching events in the same individuals

Lateralisation in forelimb use at the population and/or individual level has been found in a wide variety of vertebrate species. However, some large taxa have not yet been investigated and that limits a proper evolutionary interpretation of forelimb preferences. Among mammals lateralised use of the forelimbs has been shown for both placentals and m...

Cooperative interactions have been argued to be a powerful factor mediating the evolution of lateralization in animals. Mother−infant asymmetric spatial relationships represent a case of social coordination among organisms. Although lateralized interactions between mothers and infants have been found in beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, whether...

One of the important aspects of the animal social behavior is the laterality in perception of conspecifics. Spatial laterality in adult–infant interactions is usually revealed in primates as a cradling/holding bias in adults or nipple preference in infants. The origin and function of such biases, however, remain unclear. Here, we investigated spati...

Acquisition of upright posture in evolution has been argued to facilitate manual laterality in primates. Owing to the high variety of postural habits marsupials can serve as a suitable model to test whether the species-typical body posture shapes forelimb preferences in non-primates or this phenomenon emerged only in the course of primate evolution...

Cooperative interactions have been argued to be a powerful factor mediating the evolution of lateralization in animals. Mother−infant asymmetric spatial relationships represent a case of social coordination among organisms. Although lateralized interactions between mothers and infants have been found in beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, whether...

Article in Russian

Background: Factors determining patterns of laterality manifestation in mammals remain unclear. In primates, the upright posture favours the expression of manual laterality across species, but may have little influence within a species. Whether the bipedalism acts the same in non-primate mammals is unknown. Our recent findings in bipedal and quadr...

Visual lateralization in different aspects of social behaviour has been found for numerous species of vertebrates ranging from fish to mammals. For inspection of a shoal mate, many fishes show a left eye-right hemisphere preference. Here, we tested the hypothesis that in fish, there is a key cue in the conspecific appearance, which elicits laterali...

In many primate species, bipedal stance is a factor increasing manual laterality. To understand this phenomenon better, there is a need to investigate forelimb preferences in nonprimate mammals with bipedal locomotion as the preferred gait, such as bipedal hopping marsupials. We studied laterality in forelimb use in 27 adult red-necked wallabies du...

Article in Russian

Mother-calf joint surface swimming. This video illustrates a typical episode of a calf swimming to the right of the mother, along with other activities of the calf, i.e., tactile contacts described in the main text. (10.04 MB AVI)

Mother-at-rest and calf surface interactions. This video illustrates a typical behavior of a calf swimming along the resting and mostly motionless mother. (10.17 MB AVI)

Behavioral laterality is known for a variety of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Laterality in social interactions has been described for a wide range of species including humans. Although evidence and theoretical predictions indicate that in social species the degree of population level laterality is greater than in solitary ones, the origin o...

Visual lateralization during observation of a novel object was studied in beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) under natural conditions. As a novel object we used the underwater video camera, which simultaneously recorded whale behaviour. Video camera was placed on the bottom in the area of the beluga summer mating aggregation. After appearance of...

Some animals, notably birds, preferentially approach and capture food items in their right visual field. However, this lateralised behaviour has not been studied extensively in anamniotes. Here we test eye preference during feeding for a fish, (Perccottus glenii; Teleostei, Perciformes), a newt, (Pleurodeles walti; Amphibia, Caudata), and a frog, (...