Abstract: Foot preference is believed to be a better predictor of the cerebral lateralization for language functions than hand preference. Interest in the evolutionary origins of hemispheric specialization in humans has prompted research of limb laterality in nonhuman primates. Comparisons of arboreal and terrestrial primates are crucial for understanding the role of posture and postural instability on foot preference. This is the first study to investigate foot preference in wild Sichuan snubnosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana),a rarely studied arboreal species,in a spontaneously non-locomotive posture (bipedal folding)in the Qinling Mountains of China. All subjects showed significant individual-level foot preference. The monkeys displayed a group-level right-footedness in the bipedal posture. Neither direction nor strength of foot preference was related to sex. These results in wild R. roxellana lend further support to the postural origin theory. To the best of our knowledge,we present the first evidence of footedness in a wild Old World monkey species.

Key words: Bipedal folding, Cerebral lateralization, Footedness, Postural origin theory, Sichuan snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus roxellana)

摘要： 与手偏好相比较,脚偏好被认为是研究大脑半球中语言功能偏侧性调控表达的一种更佳的行为预测指标。当前国际科学界对于人类大脑半球功能不对称性和肢体偏好进化起源的关注,有力地推动了非人灵长类物种肢体偏好行为学研究,其中关于树栖灵长类物种的相关研究,对身体姿势在灵长类肢体偏好表达的理解有十分关键作用。川金丝猴(Rhinopithecus roxellana)是我特有濒危灵长类物种,主要营树栖生活。本研究首次关注秦岭川金丝猴自发性非移动双足姿势(双足叠放)的脚偏好。研究发现在个体水平上每个焦点动物均表现出明显的脚偏好,在群组水平上表现出显著的右脚偏好,脚偏好表达无显著性别差异,其研究结果支持“姿势起源理论”。本文首次呈现野生旧大陆猴物种群组水平脚偏好的研究证据。

关键词: 双足叠放, 大脑偏侧性, 脚偏好, 姿势起源理论, 川金丝猴