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Visual lateralization in wild striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) in response to stimuli with different degrees of familiarity

TitleVisual lateralization in wild striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) in response to stimuli with different degrees of familiarity
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2012
AuthorsSiniscalchi, M., Dimatteo Salvatore, Pepe A.M., Sasso Raffaella, and Quaranta A.
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume7
Date Published2012
ISBN Number19326203 (ISSN)
Keywordsanimal, Animals, article, Choice Behavior, decision making, eye dominance, Functional Laterality, hemisphere, hemispheric dominance, Italy, Mammalia, nonhuman, optic chiasm, Photic Stimulation, photostimulation, physiology, recognition, Recognition (Psychology), Stenella, Stenella (Cetacea), Stenella coeruleoalba, stimulus response, Time, Time Factors, Vertebrata, vision, Visual Perception, visual stimulation, Wild, wild animal
Abstract

Background: Apart from findings on both functional and motor asymmetries in captive aquatic mammals, only few studies have focused on lateralized behaviour of these species in the wild. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study we focused on lateralized visual behaviour by presenting wild striped dolphins with objects of different degrees of familiarity (fish, ball, toy). Surveys were conducted in the Gulf of Taranto, the northern Ionian Sea portion delimited by the Italian regions of Calabria, Basilicata and Apulia. After sighting striped dolphins from a research vessel, different stimuli were presented in a random order by a telescopic bar connected to the prow of the boat. The preferential use of the right/left monocular viewing during inspection of the stimuli was analysed. Conclusion: Results clearly showed a monocular viewing preference with respect to the type of the stimulus employed. Due to the complete decussation of the optical nerves in dolphin brain our results reflected a different specialization of brain hemispheres for visual scanning processes confirming that in this species different stimuli evoked different patterns of eye use. A preferential use of the right eye (left hemisphere) during visual inspection of unfamiliar targets was observed supporting the hypothesis that, in dolphins, the organization of the functional neural structures which reflected cerebral asymmetries for visual object recognition could have been subjected to a deviation from the evolutionary line of most terrestrial vertebrates. © 2012 Siniscalchi et al.

Notes

Cited By :7Export Date: 17 July 2015Correspondence Address: Siniscalchi, M.; Department of Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; email: m.siniscalchi@veterinaria.uniba.itReferences: Rogers, L.J., Andrew, R.J., (2002) Comparative Vertebrate Lateralization, , New York, Cambridge University Press;Karenina, K., Giljov, A., Baranov, V., Osipava, L., Krasnova, V., Visual laterality of calf-mother interactions in wild whales (2010) Plos One, 5, pp. e13787; Sakai, M., Hishii, T., Takeda, S., Kohshima, S., Laterality of flipper rubbing behaviour in wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus): caused by asymmetry of eye use? 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Citation Key5370