Obviously, intelligence does not depend only on the size of the brain. The baleen whale brain in the ocean weighs 7 kilograms, which is more than four times the mass of our brain. However, their behavior is far less complicated and complicated than that of humans or elephants. Baleen whales are not stupid-their songs are a rich and advanced way of communication, and as we all know, they show altruism-but their intelligence is definitely not proportional to their huge brain size.
This is of course because their brains are small relative to their bodies. The brain of the blue whale only accounts for 0.005% of its total mass! In contrast, our brain accounts for about 2.5% of our body weight. So is the mass ratio of brain to body the real determinant of intelligence? This is undoubtedly a better measure of animals, but there are still serious defects.
Facts have proved that, other things being equal, brain volume is not linearly proportional to body weight. After all, the number of neurons needed for animals to function is limited, and this concept is called "gray bottom". Smaller animals tend to have a higher ratio of brain to body mass, but they don't necessarily look smarter. For example, a humble shrew, its brain is only one tenth of its body! If this indicator is reliable, the bitch will tame us!
Speaking of this topic, I would like to mention that the species with the lowest brain constitution among all vertebrates on the earth is the bone-eared bass. The brain consumes a lot of valuable energy, so in the extremely harsh environment of the deep sea, the bone ear bass has removed most of the gray matter.
For a fish with such an unpleasant name, it is unforgettable!
In any case, it is obvious that the original mass ratio of brain to body is far from a perfect standard to measure intelligence. Too strict with big animals, too kind to small animals. Scientists have studied the relative brain size of mammals and put forward a formula to adjust this problem. Using this formula, a new and more accurate index-brainization quotient is given.
In other words, EQ is the ratio of actual brain size to predicted brain size. When we compare the EQ values of different animals, the results are more in line with our intellectual expectations. Humans scored the highest among all animals, about 7.6 points. Tukuxi dolphin is a very interesting freshwater dolphin, which comes from rivers in South America and ranks second. Its length is only 1.5 meters, and it has a bright pink belly!
Manta rays are one of the animals with the highest emotional intelligence among fish. Octopus wins among invertebrates, while Corvidae outperforms their feathered friends. These results are completely in line with our predictions based on signs of intellectual behavior. So is brain quotient really the answer? Probably not. Third, this method does not seem to be perfect.
On average, the emotional intelligence of birds is much lower than that of mammals, but there is ample evidence that birds are very smart. In fact, all dinosaurs, not just birds, have surprisingly low brain values. If the estimated EQ is to be believed, the intelligence of Tyrannosaurus rex is not as good as that of slug. Believe it or not, sauropods have the lowest score of all animals in history, as low as 0.0 1!
Manta rays are one of the animals with the highest emotional intelligence among fish. Octopus wins among invertebrates, while Corvidae outperforms their feathered friends. These results are completely in line with our predictions based on signs of intellectual behavior. So is brain quotient really the answer? Probably not. Third, this method does not seem to be perfect.
On average, the emotional intelligence of birds is much lower than that of mammals, but there is ample evidence that birds are very smart. In fact, all dinosaurs, not just birds, have surprisingly low brain values. If the estimated EQ is to be believed, the intelligence of Tyrannosaurus rex is not as good as that of slug. Believe it or not, sauropods have the lowest score of all animals in history, as low as 0.0 1!
The cerebral cortex is considered as the intelligence center of mammals. This external organization with grooves and gyrations is responsible for handling our senses, finely controlling our movements, abstract thinking and so on. Non-mammals have no cerebral cortex, but they always have the same brain area-for example, birds have a dorsal ventricle (DVR).
So far, the best method we have found to predict intelligence is the number of neurons in the cerebral cortex. That is, the total number of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex (or equivalent area). There are at least 654.38+06 billion human beings, which is already remarkable! Although the brain of an elephant is twice that of an elephant, the number of cortical neurons is one third of that of an elephant. However, believe it or not, the real world champion is the killer whale, which has an absolutely amazing 43 billion cortical neurons!
In fact, according to this standard, human beings only rank fifth. There are four kinds of dolphins with more cortical neurons, among which killer whales are the most. Some people may soon question that this method can't put mankind in the leading position. I encourage these people to keep an open mind. If we know, then we can be sure that killer whales are not as smart as we are. Maybe the way we look at intelligence is wrong.
But this is a more philosophical discussion of another answer. In any case, for centuries, human beings have been trying to digitize information and find some quantitative methods. None of our indicators is perfect, but at present, our best indicator is the number of cortical neurons. There is no doubt that it has its differences, but on the whole, it seems to be a very useful method to compare animal intelligence.
So, back to your question, if the elephant's brain is bigger than ours, why isn't it smarter? Because we can see that the size of the brain has little to do with intelligence. If this answer is long, I apologize, although I think we visited some interesting places in the animal thinking tour! (from Quora)