Siya Patil (Week 15) - Elephant vs. Human
Elephant vs. Human
Siya Patil
APENG P5
Having a memory “of an elephant” is a commonly heard-of allusion referring to the great memories belonging to elephants, and it is doubtful that you haven’t heard it many times in your life before. Unfortunately, this type of memory is (unfortunately) not gifted to the human species, but that does not mean we should stop ourselves from exploring the differences between an elephant and a human brain.
Firstly, one of the greatest differences between the two brains is the number of neurons in each. According to an article by Forbes, the brain of an African elephant has 257 billion neurons, versus the 86 billion neurons belonging to humans. So, automatically, elephants take the lead for the greater “brain power” in a way. Yet, humans are still ranked as #1 on the list of the smartest mammals, so shouldn’t the number of neurons in the human versus elephant brain be reflected in the ranking?
To simply put it, the neuron density does not determine the smarter mammal. And,
although elephants do have a (much) larger brain, it is surprisingly not the reason that they possess the greater memory. But, the great neuron density in the elephant brain does allow the animal to recall the faces and scents of family members over multiple decades.
This incredible ability gifted to elephants adds to the wonders of the capabilities of other mammals, and hopefully, shortly, researchers can explore more on this specific topic. What amazes you most about the elephant brain?
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Hi Siya,
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting part about your blog was the fact about the size of an elephant's brain not contributing to their level of smartness. I would assume that the size is a factor because in psychology we learned that brighter people usually have larger parts of their brain. However, this also brings me to wonder if smartness is something we can actually measure and how? What constitutes being smart and who gets to decide these things? In psychology, we also learned about intelligence and IQ tests. How do the people who administer these tests have the rights to do so?
Hi Siya, it's really amazing to hear how large elephant brains are compared to a human's brain. But what's even more interesting to hear is that their large sizes mean very little in determining their intelligence compared to other living things like us. I think there's a strong stereotype in popular culture that having a bigger brain makes you smarter. But the example of the elephant (and really, many other animals with larger-sized brains than humans) are proof that such a stereotype isn't always scientfically accurate.
ReplyDeleteHi Siya, I learned many new things about elephant brains from your blog. I found it really interesting that elephant brains have about three times the neurons than that of a human brain. Even though they have more neurons, it shows that brain size does not necessarily determine how intelligent they are. However, it also makes sense that they have the ability to remember things for a long time.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting! I have to say I believed that “fact” for some time and have used it several times in my conversations with friends and family--informal language. I still cannot believe that the elephant brain is so large, regardless of their level of intelligence!
ReplyDeleteHi Siya, I learned a lot about how the brain works from your blog. I have heard the phrase memory like an elephant, but never really gave it much thought. Your blog makes me want to do some more research on the brains of different animals.
ReplyDeleteHi Siya, I found your blog comparing the brain of an elephant to that of a human. I actually have never heard the phrase “memory of an elephant” – I have only heard of the phrase “memory of a goldfish”. However, based on my first impression of the phrase, I immediately associated the term with the size of the elephant; since an elephant is a relatively large animal, I automatically assumed that the phrase meant a large memory capacity. I think it’s really interesting how the neuron density does not affect the level of intelligence of a species.
ReplyDeleteHey Siya, Your blog really gave me insight into into the myth that elephants have amazing memories. It is also interesting to know that elephants are more neutron dense. This is interesting and I think I am going to have to look into this a lot more.
ReplyDeleteHi Siya, I did not realize the massive difference in neurons between the brains of other animals and humans. I am also surprised that more neurons do not equal a better brain. I guess it has to do with the efficiency and the use of our brains. Elephants have to use their brains in a more simple way than humans. I wonder if elephants who live in captivity have fewer neurons than elephants who live in the wild?
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