In Ireland, scientists studied a group of 42 cats. They gave them three tasks. One was to give them some delicious food out of a plate. They found that the male cats preferred to use their left paw, and the female cats preferred to use their right paw.

Being left-handed or right-handed can also include eyes, ears, claws and even tails. In Italy, scientists discovered that dogs wag their tails to the right when they see something that they like. When they see something that they don’t like, their tails go to the left.

There are lots of fun examples. Left-handed dolphins swim in a different direction around the pool. Elephants like to swing their trunks(象鼻) in one direction. Even snakes prefer to curl up(蜷缩起来) only one way.

Many people believe that polar bears are left-handed. They say that polar bears cover their black nose with their right paw, which helps them hide in the snow when they are hunting. Then they can sneak up(慢慢靠近) on an animal, and their left paw will be free to catch it.

Scientists, however, disagree. Some have watched polar bears for thousands of hours. They never saw the bears cover their nose during a hunt. They also saw no evidence(证据) that they were left-handed. Without taking any notice of this, many websites continue to say that polar bears are left-handed.

Scientists are still learning about animals and their body languages. If you see an animal the next time, try finding out yourself which it prefers—left or right.

Penguins are really lovely animals. Do you want to know more about their life? After a female penguin lays an egg, she will hand it over to the male penguin to cradle(抚育) on his feet. This handover(移交) must be done before the egg once touching the ground, or the chick inside would die from the freezing temperatures. The mother then goes a long way back to the sea to look for food. The father is left to fight against cold for more than two months, and during the time, he has to protect his egg from the cold without having anything.

When the mother returns, she brings the first meal to her new baby, which is now a hatched(孵出的) chick. Then she will care for the chick when the father makes the hard journey to the sea. Then they take turns to care for their chick and look for food at the sea. When the babies are around 45-50 days old, they get together to keep warm while both parents head out to the sea. They return periodically to feed their chicks before the chicks are old enough to look after themselves.

Most mother animals love their babies and look after them well. But do you know some father animals are also great dads? Now let’s see them.

Sea catfish (鲶鱼): A male sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch (孵). He does not eat during this time. It may take several (数个) weeks.

Duck: Most male ducks live alone, but the ruddy (红的) ducks of North America help care for their young.

Wolf: When the mother wolf gives birth, the father watches outside their “house” and brings food for the mother and pups. As the pups grow, he not only plays with them but also teaches them how to kill other animals.

Monkey: There are small monkeys in South America called marmosets (绒猴). Among these monkey the fathers take care of their babies from birth. When a marmoset is born, the father cleans it and keeps it safe. When the baby can eat food, the father feeds the child.

Seahorse: The male seahorse looks after the eggs for about two months, until they hatch. He goes on to protect the young until they are able to live on their own.