![]() However, this idea and others have since scrutinized more compelling arguments, and tests have been conducted.įurthermore, while animals with larger brains such as elephants and whales show significant capacities for self-recognition, problem-solving, language, culture, and family, many researchers believe that they still have less cognitive capacities and intelligence than humans. This research was considered compelling because there was a belief that animals that lived in areas where more intelligence is required for survival would grow larger brains to deal with the additional cognitive needs of living in such an area. nurture theory and negated the idea that animals living in a city area are more intelligent than those in rural areas. Interestingly several other animal species showed larger brain sizes in rural areas than those living in city environments, which challenged the nature vs. However, observations of other mammals showed little or no increase in brain size despite living in city/urban environments. They showed that mice that lived in the city had larger brains than those that lived in the city, which was believed to be a clear indicator of increased intelligence among city-dwelling animals that dealt with higher levels of cognitive stress. In one study, a group of city mice was compared to a group of country mice. This continuing debate has to do with observations from different tests and case studies. Even though considerably more is known about the brain than in the past, intelligence and brain size continue to be debatable among researchers and scientists. ![]() Brain Size and Intelligenceįor a long time, brain size was correlated directly with intelligence. ![]() However, the extent of their intelligence remains partially speculative due to a lack of our understanding of these amazing animals. Overall, sperm whales are considered intelligent marine mammals with highly specialized skills. Some scientists believe the sperm whale’s large head and the waxy substance created from the spermaceti organ in their head may play a strong role in improving the whale’s echolocation by enhancing its ability to observe various acoustic sounds and measure its distance or direction about the whale’s position.Įcholocation allows these marine mammals to locate prey and navigate the ocean in complete darkness, which is especially useful for sperm whales since they often hunt for food in the dark. And because sound travels 4 times faster in water than it does on land, having excellent hearing can be essential to survival.įurthermore, these whales possess excellent echolocation abilities. To help the sperm whale navigate the ocean and survive, these marine mammals are equipped with a pair of large retractable eyes and an enlarged auditory system to help find their way around. In fact, dolphins have even been trained by the military to locate underwater mines, and military personnel lost at sea.īecause dolphins and whales (such as the sperm whale) possess many of the same abilities and cognitive skills, it is likely that many of these same mental strengths also exist among the sperm whale species. Unfortunately, most whale species are too large in nature to perform similar tests, so intelligence gathering is often limited to observations of large whales and tests performed on smaller cetacean species.Īmong the dolphin population, researchers and trainers have performed various tests on their ability to learn comprehensive tasks, problem solves, and respond to various commands.ĭolphins have also shown the ability self recognize and observe markings placed on their body when facing a mirror, a characteristic that is common among only a few highly intelligent species. Most of what we know about cetacean intelligence has been gathered from research on dolphins. However, despite whether or not their brain size has an impact on their intelligence, the cetacean family overall has displayed a high level of intelligence as a species.įor those who aren’t familiar with cetaceans, the cetacean species includes all whale, dolphin, and porpoise species. In fact, the sperm whale’s brain weighs 5 times that of a human’s brain!Īlthough brain size has previously been used to correlate intelligence among various animal species, recent research has shown that brain size does not always equal high intelligence, so the sperm whales’ brain size cannot be used as the only determining factor of intelligence. The sperm whale also happens to have the largest brain and cerebrum of any known mammal in existence today. long, the sperm whale is the largest known whale within the toothed whale family.
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