A new study has suggested that kangaroos are lefties. Published in the journal Current Biology, the study throws new light on the capacity for mammals. Studying kangaroos was a first for lead researcher Yegor Malashichev of Saint Petersburg State University in Russia as he previously remained focused on handedness in jumping frogs, walking frogs and gray short-tailed opossums.

The new study showed that kangaroos in Australia and Tasmania prefer to use their left hands for particular tasks, like grooming the nose, picking a leaf, bending a tree branch etc.

Eastern grey and red kangaroos particularly exhibited left-handedness. Red-necked wallabies were observed using their left hand for some tasks involving fine motor skills. They preferred to use their right for performing tasks that required physical strength.

Malashichev said, "According to a special-assessment scale of handedness adopted for primates, kangaroos pulled down the highest grades. We observed a remarkable consistency in responses across bipedal species in that they all prefer to use the left, not the right, hand".

The researchers were surprised knowing that a neutral circuit to bridge the left and right hemispheres of the brain was not present in kangaroos. Malashichev said they never expected that kangaroos lack the same neutral circuit seen in the brains of other mammals.

Malashichev cited asymmetric development of the brain as a reason why humans and other animals favor one limb over the other. However, Malashichev said it couldn't be ascertained yet why kangaroos favor one limb over the other.