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Compare Brain and Body Sizes
Evaluation of brain and body size is important in studies about intelligence. When comparing animals and their levels of intelligence, one method is to look at respective brain sizes.
On the next couple of pages will be a series of tables designed to help us visualize brain and body sizes and develop questions from them. The table below shows brains approximately proportional to the size of the animal pictured in color. Mouse over each animal picture for a silhouette of its full body. Click on the pictures of the animals to read specific information about the species.
Brain Length |
Brain Weight |
Body Length |
Body Weight |
||
Human |
15 cm | 1,400 g | 100 cm | 62,000 g | |
Baboon |
8 cm | 140 g | 120 cm | 30,000 g | |
Rhesus Monkey |
5 cm | 180 g | 30 cm | 6,800 g | |
Camel |
15 cm | 680 g | 200 cm | 529,000 g | |
Dolphin |
---- | 1,700 g | 300 cm | 160,000 g | |
Kangaroo |
5 cm | 56 g | 150 cm | 35,000 g | |
Cat |
5 cm | 30 g | 60 cm | 3,300 g | |
Raccoon |
5.5 cm | 39 g | 80 cm | 4,290 g | |
Rabbit |
5 cm | 12 g | 30 cm | 2,500 g | |
Squirrel |
3 cm | 6 g | 20 cm | 900 g | |
Northern Leopard Frog |
2 cm | 0.1 g | 10 cm | 18 g |
(You can look at this chart to see the approximate values for brain/body lengths and weights used above)
Would you rather compare brains when the animal pictures are in proportion, equalize brain size, or equalize body size?
Comments
Adult brain?
Am I missing something? Why does the comparison say that the human body is 100 cm? Every other animal body length corresponds with the correct brain weight, length, etc... I don't come across many adults that are about 3 feet tall. Additionally, the body weight of a human (per your standards) is 136 lbs, making this human example pretty much an obese midget.
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