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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
08:53
A Robotic Platform to Study the Foreflipper of the California Sea Lion
Published on: January 10, 2017
Population level "flipperedness" in the eastern Pacific leatherback turtle.
Annette E Sieg1, Eugenia Zandonà, Victor M Izzo
1Department of Biology, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. aes48@drexel.edu
Behavioural Brain Research
|August 29, 2009
Summary
Eastern Pacific leatherback turtles show a population-level right-limb bias during nesting. This study is the first to report limb preference in turtles, offering insights into brain lateralization in Testudinata.
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Limb preference indicates lateralized brain function.
- Lateralization has been experimentally shown in lower vertebrates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess spontaneous hindlimb flipper use in nesting eastern Pacific leatherback turtles.
- To determine if a limb preference exists in this species.
Main Methods:
- Observing and recording which hindlimb flipper was used to cover the egg chamber during oviposition.
- Collecting data from 361 individual turtles over 1889 observations.
Main Results:
- A population-level right-limb bias was observed.
- This is the first documented instance of limb preference in the order Testudinata.
Conclusions:
- Nesting leatherback turtles exhibit a population-level right-limb bias.
- This finding contributes to understanding brain lateralization in reptiles.
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