Left-Handed Orangutans Like humans, many animals also display a preference for one hand or paw (Ocklenburg & Güntürkun, 2012). Unlike humans, who are predominantly right-handed, animals tend to vary by species, population, and task (Hopkins & Cantalupo, 2005; Grant, 2014). For example, orangutans, like the one shown above, tend to be left-handed, but gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos tend to be right-handed (Hopkins & others, 2011). Handedness is discussed in more detail in the Science Versus Pseudoscience box, “Brain Myths,” on page 77.

Courtesy of Dr. William D. Hopkins/Georgia State University