While scientists once thought that animals were ambidextrous, recent studies have shown that almost all animals have a preference for the right paw or foot over the left, and vice versa. This lateralization is believed to improve the animals’ chances of finding a mate, evading predators and food foraging.
Adapting to use one paw or foot over the other aids in the animal’s ability to react quickly to situations, whether they are threats or opportunities. Favoring one paw over another has been seen in mammals, fish, amphibians and birds.
Mammals such as the dog and cat have a preference for one paw or the other, and the preference seems to be related to gender. Both male cats and dogs prefer their left front paws, while females of both species prefer using their right front paws.
Elephants have a favorite side for swinging their trunks when eating, and scientists have found chimpanzees in Tanzania who preferred one hand to the other. It was discovered that they were more successful foragers than their ambidextrous counterparts.
Humpback whales have also been studied and most appear to favor the right side of their jaws when scraping eels off the seabed. It also appears that horses have a preference for the left eye over the right and tend to look for dangers from their left side.
Parrots pick up objects with a preferred foot and reptiles are more responsive when food is placed on their right side, as the right eye is the dominant eye for most reptiles. Fish also have a dominant eye that they watch for predators with. Depending on which eye is the dominant one, this will determine whether fish circle clockwise or anticlockwise when in the presence of a threat.
Paw Preference Test for Dogs or Cats
Owners can discover if their dog or cat has a paw preference by conducting a simple at home experiment:
- Gather a cardboard/plastic tube, making sure that the tube is large enough for the animal to reach inside with its paw, but not so large as to be able to fit its head inside.
- Next, place a food treat inside the tube, near the end, and hold it in front of the pet, encouraging him or her to get the treat.
- Repeat three times and make a note of which paw he or she uses.
- If this test proves unsuccessful, owners can try placing a treat under a sofa or cabinet and seeing which paw is used to retrieve it.
- For dogs, owners can hold their hand out and see which paw their dog wants to shake with. This may be less effective as most owners teach their dogs to shake with the right paw as this is how humans shake hands. It may work if the dog hasn't been trained to shake with a particular paw already, or despite training, owners may notice their dog offers their left paw regardless.
- For cats, owners can also dangle a toy on a string in front of their cat’s face and see which paw it uses to grab the string.
This simple test can also be used for rabbits, rodents and ferrets.
Paw Preference Test for Horses
Owners can discover if their horse has a hoof preference by conducting a simple at home experiment:
- Place some food pellets approximately five meters in front of your horse and encourage him or her to eat. Once the horse starts to eat, take notice of which hoof is further forward.
- Repeat three times and make a note of which hoof he or she puts forward most often.
In most animals, one side of the brain controls the opposite side of its body, and interestingly, just like in humans, the majority of the species favor the same paw/foot/side, with a few exceptions that prefer the opposite.
Resource and further reading:
Meet Tiddles – he’s a southpaw, The Sunday Times
Test Your Pet, BBC Science & Nature: Animals.
Roberta Goli - Roberta has a Bachelor of Science Degree (Zoology), has worked with animals for over 10 years and enjoys writing short stories and flash ...
