Visual lateralization in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): evidence for a population asymmetry? 2003

Sevgi Yaman, and Lorenzo von Fersen, and Guido Dehnhardt, and Onur Güntürkün
Marineland Mallorca, Costa d'En Blanes, 07184 Calvia, Mallorca, Spain.

A previous behavioural study with a single bottlenose dolphin had reported a right eye superiority in visual discrimination tasks, indicating a left hemisphere dominance for visual object processing. The presence of a functional asymmetry demonstrated with one individual shows that this function can be lateralized in this single animal, but cannot reveal if this represents a population asymmetry. Therefore, we conducted a series of visual discrimination experiments with three individuals of Tursiops truncatus under monocular conditions. The tested animals had to distinguish between simultaneously presented stimulus pairs of different patterns, whereby one stimulus was always defined to be correct. Additionally, the animals were observed for their free eye use during training and introduction of new items. The present data set revealed a right eye advantage (left hemisphere dominance) for all tested animals and a predominance of right eye use during daily activities. These results make it possible that bottlenose dolphins are lateralized for visual pattern discrimination at the level of a population asymmetry. Against the background of similar data in other vertebrates, a left hemisphere dominance for pattern discrimination points to the possibility that dolphins exploit local visual details instead of global configurational features to recognize and memorize visual stimuli.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007839 Functional Laterality Behavioral manifestations of cerebral dominance in which there is preferential use and superior functioning of either the left or the right side, as in the preferred use of the right hand or right foot. Ambidexterity,Behavioral Laterality,Handedness,Laterality of Motor Control,Mirror Writing,Laterality, Behavioral,Laterality, Functional,Mirror Writings,Motor Control Laterality,Writing, Mirror,Writings, Mirror
D010364 Pattern Recognition, Visual Mental process to visually perceive a critical number of facts (the pattern), such as characters, shapes, displays, or designs. Recognition, Visual Pattern,Visual Pattern Recognition
D004193 Discrimination Learning Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli. Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D004289 Dolphins Mammals of the families Delphinidae (ocean dolphins), Iniidae, Lipotidae, Pontoporiidae, and Platanistidae (all river dolphins). Among the most well-known species are the BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN and the KILLER WHALE (a dolphin). The common name dolphin is applied to small cetaceans having a beaklike snout and a slender, streamlined body, whereas PORPOISES are small cetaceans with a blunt snout and rather stocky body. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 5th ed, pp978-9) Amazon Dolphins,Baiji,Cephalorhynchus,Chinese River Dolphin,Delphinidae,False Killer Whale,Franciscana,Fraser's Dolphin,Ganges Dolphin,Gray Grampus,Humpback Dolphins,Irrawaddy River Dolphin,La Plata Dolphin,Lagenorhynchus,Lissodelphis,Many-Toothed Blackfish,Marine Dolphins,Melon-Headed Whale,Ocean Dolphins,Piebald Dolphins,Platanista,Pontoporia blainvillei,Pygmy Killer Whale,Right Whale Dolphins,Risso's Dolphin,Rough-Toothed Dolphin,Sousa,Susus,Tucuxi Dolphin,Whale, False Killer,Whale, Melon-Headed,Whale, Pygmy Killer,White-Beaked Dolphins,Amazon River Dolphins,Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins,Feresa attenuata,Ganges River Dolphin,Grampus griseus,Inia geoffrensis,Lagenodelphis hosei,Lagenorhynchus acutus,Lagenorhynchus albirostris,Langenorhynchus obliquidens,Lipotes vexillifer,Orcaella brevirostris,Pacific White-Sided Dolphins,Peponocephala electra,Planista gangetica,Pseudorca crassidens,Sotalia fluviatilis,Steno bredanensis,Yangtze River Dolphin,Atlantic White Sided Dolphins,Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin,Baijus,Dolphin,Dolphin, Fraser's,False Killer Whales,Franciscanas,Fraser Dolphin,Frasers Dolphin,Humpback Dolphin,Lagenodelphis hoseus,Lagenorhynchus albirostri,Langenorhynchus obliquiden,Lissodelphi,Many Toothed Blackfish,Marine Dolphin,Melon Headed Whale,Melon-Headed Whales,Ocean Dolphin,Orcaella brevirostri,Pacific White Sided Dolphins,Pacific White-Sided Dolphin,Piebald Dolphin,Planista gangeticas,Platanistas,Pontoporia blainvilleus,Pseudorca crassiden,Pygmy Killer Whales,Right Whale Dolphin,Risso Dolphin,Rissos Dolphin,Rough Toothed Dolphin,Rough-Toothed Dolphins,Sotalia fluviatili,Tucuxi Dolphins,White Beaked Dolphins,White-Beaked Dolphin
D004292 Dominance, Cerebral Dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other in cerebral functions. Cerebral Dominance,Hemispheric Specialization,Dominances, Cerebral,Specialization, Hemispheric
D005260 Female Females
D000704 Analysis of Variance A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable. ANOVA,Analysis, Variance,Variance Analysis,Analyses, Variance,Variance Analyses
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia

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