To investigate polar bears' paw preference in this “blindfold” method of teeth inspection, Herrero and Derocher compared footage of polar bear cubs opening their mouths for their mothers with footage of adult polar bears lifting their paws up to their own chins. In this way, polar bear mothers can then inspect their cubs' teeth by touch as a form of “blindfold.” However, polar bear mothers will usually groom their cubs' noses to stimulate the infants and encourage them to open their mouths. In nature, polar bear cubs are born with their eyes and ears closed, which prevents them from seeing or hearing anything. Andrew Derocher, this female polar bear’s left-pawedness may be a form of behavioral asymmetry called “laterality.” As a result of being more skilled with their left paws, polar bears may even have evolved to favor the use of their left paw over their right in certain tasks. ![]() One polar bear in particular, an 11-year-old female named Ibella, was captured on film performing all three tasks with her left paw.Īccording to polar bear biologists Dr. ![]() The cameras captured footage of polar bears passing by the enclosures, and from this footage the researchers could determine which polar bear paw the animals used most often to perform these tasks. To study polar bears' paw preferences in these tasks, researchers used hidden cameras set up near polar bear enclosures at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada. ![]() To untangle this mystery, polar bear biologists from the University of Guelph in Canada compared polar bears' preference for using their right or left paws while performing three different tasks: opening a door, reaching for food behind the door, and resting polar bears' paws under their chins. Are polar bears left-handed? This question has been the source of much debate, but a study published in a recent issue of Biology Letters may have finally given an answer.
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