About 10.6% of humans are left-handed, while 89.4% are right-handed, according to a 2020 study. For years, scientists believed handedness was unique to humans, partly because it’s often measured by writing—a skill only humans have. But new research shows many animals also prefer one side over the other when performing tasks like grabbing food with a paw or foot.
A Landmark Study on Animal Handedness
A recent study, published in the journal Laterality (Ströckens et al., 2025), analyzed hundreds of past studies on limb preferences in animals. The research team examined everything from paw use in cats and foot dexterity in parrots to flipper preferences in turtles. The study included a wide range of species, from frogs and lizards to birds and mammals.
Key Findings: Handedness Is the Norm, Not the Exception
The team categorized species into three groups:
Symmetry – No clear preference for left or right (28% of species).
Individual-Level Asymmetry – Animals showed handedness, but neither side was more common overall (32.5% of species).
Population-Level Asymmetry – One side was significantly more dominant, just like human right-handedness (39.5% of species).
Out of 172 species studied, 72% displayed some form of handedness. Cats, for example, were split—39% right-pawed, 36% left-pawed, and 25% ambidextrous. This makes left-pawedness far more common in cats than left-handedness in humans.
Conclusion
The findings challenge old assumptions: handedness isn’t rare in nature—it’s the norm. Whether it’s paws, claws, or flippers, many animals favor one side, just like humans.
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