Gannets prefer to roll either right or left when they dive

When gannets dive into the ocean to catch fish, they roll both to the left or the suitable based on their particular person choice, very like how most individuals have a dominant hand.

The choice for one facet of the physique over the opposite, or laterality, happens in lots of animals. Many primates, like people, have a dominant hand; cockatoos are typically left-footed and bees choose to show proper once they enter an open cavity, whereas blue whales appear to have totally different preferences for various duties.

Ashley Bennison on the British Antarctic Survey and his colleagues connected accelerometers to 71 northern gannets (Morus bassanus) on the coasts of Ireland and Wales and tracked their actions for roughly three days. All the birds have been tending to chicks aged 3 to 4 weeks, which meant they wanted to hunt for meals out at sea on daily basis.

When gannets spot their prey, they roll to 1 facet earlier than plunging into the water. The accelerometers efficiently recorded 2133 dives by 51 birds. Of this group, 22 would persistently roll to the suitable throughout their dives, 26 would roll to the left and three had no choice.

The researchers additionally discovered that gannets had a strongly most popular dive angle, although this didn’t appear to foretell whether or not they rolled left or proper.

Laterality is assumed to outcome from the 2 hemispheres of the mind being specialised for various duties. “Because the brain is concentrated on one side for undertaking very specific behaviours, it allows your brain and your body to develop the ability to multitask,” says Bennison.

In distinction to us, gannets appear to be pretty evenly break up between left and right-handers. It isn’t clear why most individuals are right-handed, however some researchers suppose it is because of social components.

“When you look at humans, we are predominantly right-handed and that allows us to sort of coordinate an easy life in terms of tool use,” says Bennison. “When you see a more even split, like we’ve got here, it means it’s a behaviour that has come about because the individuals are engaging in more complex tasks by themselves.”

The findings symbolize the primary time that laterality has been seen in a foraging seabird. “Prey capture and foraging are an incredibly important part of any animal’s life to the point of success or failure,” says Bennison, who hopes to discover whether or not “handedness” has an impact on the place or how birds forage.