title: Advantages in exploring a new environment with the left eye in lizards.
abstract: Lizards (Podarcis muralis) preferentially use the left eye during spatial exploration in a binocular condition. Here we allowed 44 adult wild lizards to explore an unknown maze for 20 min under a temporary monocular condition whilst recording their movements, particularly the direction of turns made whilst walking within the maze. Lizards with a patch on their right eye, i.e. using their left eye to monitor the environment, moved faster than lizards with a patch on their left eye when turning both leftward and rightward in a T-cross. Hence, right eye-patched lizards were faster than left eye-patched lizards also in turning right, although their right eye was covered. Thus, lizards that could use the left eye/right hemisphere to attend spatial cues appeared to have more control and to be more prompt in exploring the maze. In addition, female lizards with their left eye covered stopped very frequently when they reached crosses, showing a high level of indecision. Results confirm that P. muralis lizards using their left eye only in exploring a new environment react faster and more efficiently than those using the right eye only in exploration. Hence lateralisation of spatial stimuli mediated by the left eye/right hemisphere could provide an advantage to this species.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Museo di Storia Naturale, Università di Parma, via Farini 90, 43121 Parma, Italy. beatrice.bonati@unipr.it
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bonati
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Csermely
authors.forename: Valeria Anna
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Sovrano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D008116:Lizards / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D015349:Vision, Monocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Exploratory behaviour; LLS; LLT; LTT; Lateralisation; Lizard; Monocular test; Podarcis muralis; RLS; RLT; RTT; Visual asymmetry; left L-straight; left L-turn; left T-turn; right L-straight; right L-turn; right T-turn