[Caelus9]

This is the first time I've heard something like this I had no idea animals could be left handed too! We used to have two budgies at home, but I never paid attention to which foot they preferred. Now I'm honestly tempted to go watch a bunch of parrot videos just to see if this leftie thing shows up elsewhere too.

[CGMthrowaway]

Fiddler crabs have one large claw and one small one. Usually which is bigger (right or left) is distributed 50/50. But there is one species - an Australian one - where only 1.4% are left-clawed.

A crab finding itself left-clawed means they fight differently and are generally less successful in fights, thus they live a more asocial life by choice and necessity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelasimus_vomeris

[Tarsul]

now I want a childrens movie about a left-handed crab who fights for all left-handed crabs to be let back into society.

[tonytamps]

Starting to sound like a storyline from the Dungeon Crawler Carl novels.

[officeplant]

Lets not lead this back to another round of crab man jerks off to save the world.

[dmurray]

Why wouldn't it be like human martial arts, where a left-handed fencer or boxer has the advantage of novelty over a right-handed opponent? Even in something like table tennis this has an effect. Baseball too, but for slightly different reasons.

[fwipsy]

This is a good point. Righty fighting righty would mean the large claws are facing smaller claws. Righty fighting lefty means small claw facing large claw. But in either case both crabs are in the same situation so I would expect no advantage to either. Maybe there are other parts of crab behavior or anatomy which are hardwired for a large right claw? Another question is why left clawed crabs haven't died out entirely if they're disadvantaged?

[dmurray]

Maybe the fights are more lethal for both crabs with a righty vs lefty fight, so it's no longer a zero sum game of winner gets the territory, loser gets nothing.

[glompers]

Crabs may not always face each other to fight, since they walk sideways, so there are still opportunities for large claw facing either claw.

[vintermann]

Probably that is limited by how many fights you get into, and how much you manage to learn from them.

[Illniyar]

Perhaps it's an issue with multiple combatants? If fights are not one on one then having one crab be difficult to work with can be a problem

[bookofjoe]

My cat is left-pawed: her first swipe at something is always with her left front paw.

[noelwelsh]

Most cats are left pawed.

Update: see comment below. Studies are not conclusive.

[CGMthrowaway]

I've seen a few studies that when taken together aren't super conclusive, but suggest that perhaps around 3/4 of cats have handedness and that there may be some bias to one side or the other based on sex.

[bookofjoe]

See my comment just above yours!

[jjtheblunt]

i've seen a study (which i can't find) that boy cats are usually lefty and girls righty. that fits our sample size of four, interestingly, and perhaps randomly, since i can't find the study.

[jjtheblunt]

(too late to edit to include reference to the male/female feline handedness)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain...

[emsign]

Most animals are lefties. We are the odd ones.