The Elephant Brain: A Feat of Evolution
This extinct moeritherium lived more than 37 million years ago, but it is an ancestor of the modern elephant. Elephant brain's have evolved to become much more complex since then. Compared to the moeritherium's, the elephant's brain is 10 times larger proportional to its body weight.
Image courtesy of NBC News |
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Elephants' large, complex brains give them impressive problem-solving abilities. They can even use tools to accomplish their goals.
Here, an elephant uses a plastic cube from his yard as a step stool to reach fruit dangling out of a tree. No one showed him how to do this either--he figured it out on his own! Video courtesy of National Zoo |
For Further Reading and viewing
Scientific American: "The Science Is In: Elephants Are Even Smarter Than We Realized"
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-in-elephants-are-even-smarter-than-we-realized-video/
Elephant Reflections by Karl Ammann and Dale Peterson
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-is-in-elephants-are-even-smarter-than-we-realized-video/
Elephant Reflections by Karl Ammann and Dale Peterson
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Video courtesy of TED Ed
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References
"Ancient Elephants Loved Water." Science on NBCNews.com. NBC News, 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24115057/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/ancient-elephants-loved-water/#.VIsUYjHF-So>.
Herculano-Houzel, Suzana. "The Human Brain in Numbers: A Linearly Scaled-up Primate Brain." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 3 (2009): n. pag. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.09.031.2009/full>.
Holdrege, Craig. " Elephantine Intelligence." Nature Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic5/elephant.htm>.
Joubert, Derek. "In Botswana a Pride of Lions Lives Large." National Geographic. National Geographic Magazine, 2000. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0011/feature5/>.
Shoshani, J., W. J. Kupsky, and G. H. Marchant. "Elephant Brain. Part I: Gross Morphology, Functions, Comparative Anatomy, and Evolution." Brain Research Bulletin 70.2 (2006): 124-57. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16782503>.
Herculano-Houzel, Suzana. "The Human Brain in Numbers: A Linearly Scaled-up Primate Brain." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 3 (2009): n. pag. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/neuro.09.031.2009/full>.
Holdrege, Craig. " Elephantine Intelligence." Nature Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic5/elephant.htm>.
Joubert, Derek. "In Botswana a Pride of Lions Lives Large." National Geographic. National Geographic Magazine, 2000. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0011/feature5/>.
Shoshani, J., W. J. Kupsky, and G. H. Marchant. "Elephant Brain. Part I: Gross Morphology, Functions, Comparative Anatomy, and Evolution." Brain Research Bulletin 70.2 (2006): 124-57. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16782503>.