Spyxos
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There does appear to be some relationship between the brain to body ratio and intelligence, the so-called encephalization quotient. Animals with a higher proportion of body mass dedicated to the brain do tend to be smarter, but even this measurement has problems. For instance, recent research revealed that bird brains are both denser and more efficient than similarly sized mammal brains. Which means we can’t interpret intelligence based on size alone.
The more we learn about the myriad ways brains can arrange themselves, the more scientists realized they needed a different way of measuring or estimating intelligence, particularly in extinct species. Considering that theropod dinosaurs are the ancestors of modern birds, it’s reasonable to assume, at least barring evidence to the contrary, that they had similar brain structures. And if T. rex had more densely packed and more efficient neurons, it might have been considerably smarter than we’ve previously supposed.
Suzana Herculano-Houzel, neuroanatomist at Vanderbilt University and author of the new paper, used comparative anatomy to bump up modern birds and reptiles against extinct dinosaurs. They found that some dinosaurs had brain structures similar to birds while others were closer to reptiles. Then, using data about the neuronal density of birds and reptiles, Herculano-Houzel reconstructed the estimated density of neurons in extinct dinosaurs.
According to Herculano-Houzel’s findings, T. rex may have had as many as 3.3 billion neurons in its cortex and might have been as intelligent as a modern baboon. The paper also predicts T. rex would have taken about five years to reach maturity, and would have had a lifespan of about 50 years. It might also have been able to use tools, similarly to the way some birds and primates use sticks to fish for food.
Of course, those are bold claims which would require substantially more evidence, and the responses to Herculano-Houzel’s findings have been mixed.
Were dinosaurs way smarter than we previously thought?
Humans are pretty sure that humans are the smartest animals on the planet. Of course, we would think that, wouldn’t we? On Earth, there are people with their cars and their spaceships and their credit scores (we’re not saying everything we do is a good idea), and then there is everything else...
