ABSTRACT

The visual system and lifestyle characteristics make the even-toed ungulates an excellent model for the studies of behavioural lateralization. Recent research has focused on these mammals providing evidence of lateralization in a wide range of behaviours. This provides an opportunity for the collation of the current theoretical assumptions and the existing empirical evidence for visual lateralization in artiodactyls. In the present study, we aim first to gain a fuller picture of hemispheric specializations in saiga antelopes by investigating the lateralization of vigilance and novel object inspection in the wild. Second, we summarized the results of the research into visual lateralization in even-toed ungulates and attempted to assess the applicability of two popular hypotheses about the division of hemispheric roles. The results on saigas show a significant preference for head turns to the right visual field during vigilance which was more robust in individuals in larger groups. When an unfamiliar artificial object was placed in their natural setting, saigas preferentially viewed it predominantly with the right eye. These results, together with the cumulative evidence in artiodactyls, do not follow either the approach—withdrawal or positivity—negativity dichotomous patterns widely used to explain the division of functions between the hemispheres.

摘要

视觉系统和生活方式特征使有蹄类无蹄类动物成为研究行为偏侧化的极好模型。最近的研究集中在这些哺乳动物上，提供了在多种行为上均化的证据。这为整理目前的理论假设和现有的经验证据提供了机会，使视觉对侧翼动物的视觉偏侧化成为可能。在本研究中，我们的首要目标是通过调查野外的警惕性和新颖的物体检查来获得赛加羚羊的半球专长的完整图片。其次，我们总结了对有蹄类动物的蹄齿侧视的研究结果，并试图评估关于半球角色划分的两个流行假设的适用性。赛加羚羊的结果显示，在警惕期间，头部偏向正确视野的偏爱显着，这在较大群体的个体中更为稳健。将不熟悉的人造物体放在自然环境中时，赛加羚羊优先优先用右眼观看它。这些结果，连同在动d动物中的累积证据，均未遵循广泛用于解释半球之间功能分配的方法-戒断或阳性-否定性二分法。