We find that the brain of the african elephant, weighing 4618. Elephants are the worlds largest land animals and one of our. Elephants are amongst the worlds most intelligent species. Box 1220, asmara, eritrea horn of africa b department of pathology, school of medicine, wayne state university, detroit, mi. African elephants are also losing their habitat as the human population grows and people convert land for agriculture and development.
Elephant cognition is the study of animal cognition as present in elephants. Elephant memory facts about the intelligence of elephants. The african elephant is not only the largest animal on land, or even the animal with the largest brain its brain is actually bigger even than would be expected for such a large creature. Elephant anatomy, habitat, feeding, reproduction and elephant predators introduction to elephants. Thus, there is considerable growth and development as the calf grows up. Basic elephant facts global sanctuary for elephants.
Compared to a tiny ant brain, the elephant s brain is thousands of times larger. There are two species of elephants remaining in the world the african and the asian. Read the 2018 edition of brain facts as a pdf file. In fact, in this authors opinion, the available evidence suggests that a. The elephant in the room is any important and obvious fact that, for whatever reason, no one is willing to talk about. Elephants are grayish to brown in colour, and their body hair is sparse and coarse. Facts the adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds 1,3001,400 g. Attention baby calves will raise their trunk to get attention from their mothers and other elephants.
But here the elephant in the room is, well, the elephanta species that is largerbrained than humans, but not equipped with behaviors as complex and flexible as. Brain of the african elephant the john allman lab caltech. Proportionally, the elephants brain is the most sizeable at a mass of just over 5kg. Further support for this theory can be found in the fact that the. Elephant anatomy facts complete diagram of anatomy. Elephant, family elephantidae, largest living land animal, characterized by its long trunk elongated upper lip and nose, columnar legs, and huge head with temporal glands and wide, flat ears. While we cant judge how effectively a brain works based solely on its size, it can offer a decent approximation and give us a hint as to the power of elephant memory. Cartoons lieelephants dont like peanuts an elephant running in the masai mara, kenya courtesy of flickr user brittanyhock. As the mass of the brain increases, so does the learning ability of young elephants. How small is an ants brain compared to an elephants.
Both the elephant and man are born with small brain masses. The largest elephant in the world weighed 24,000 pounds. Their brain is 3 or 4 times larger than that of humans, although smaller as a proportion of bodyweight. The need for such a large and complex organ becomes clear when we consider the behaviours and abilities of these animals. Elephants can grow over feet tall and weigh up to 15,000 pounds. The elephants brain is similar to that of humans in terms. If elephants have bigger brains, why are they not smarter. Smaller than the african savanna elephant, the forest elephant weighs around 5,950 lbs 2. They range in color from light to dark gray, with the most distinct features being their huge. Whats in a machine, how its connected, how it interfaces, all change depending on a computers purpose. In their new book, the elephant in the brain, authors kevin simler and robin hanson extend the concept to one the most important and obvious, yet unspoken, facts about the human mind. Marchantc a department of biology, university of asmara, p.
Elephant intelligence, brain, behavior, memory elephant. Brain science and the nonhuman animal mind elric elias, ph. African elephant, facts and photos national geographic. With a mass of just over 11 lb 5 kg, an elephants brain has more mass than that of any other land animal, and although the largest whales have body masses twenty times those of a typical elephant, a. Despite this, the cerebral cortex of the elephant brain, which weighs 2848. According to research, humans are the most intelligent animals. Most contemporary ethologists view the elephant as one of the worlds most intelligent animals. Heres a look at how unique brain structures different from those of any other mammal are responsible for elephants special abilities in learning and memory. An elephant is pregnant for 680 days because baby elephants are born with high levels of brain development and it takes them longer to develop than other mammals.
An elephants brain is about four times the size of a humans brain. Fierce competition for living space has resulted in human suffering, and a dramatic loss of forest cover. In fact, elephants have the largest brain of any land mammal. They have the largest brain of any land animal, and three times as many neurons as humans.
In depth facts global sanctuary for elephants elephant. The trunk of the african elephant has two fingerlike structures at its tip that allow the animal to perform both delicate and powerful movements. An ear of a male african elephant weighs over 45 kilograms. The adult human brain is about 2% of the total body weight. They are followed by the apes, then elephants, and then the dolphins. A study revealed that the strong memory of an elephant helps them survive in the wild.
In fact, although men have been reported to have more neurons in. The elephant is among the more intelligent animals. Access brain facts, a primer on the brain and nervous system, published by the society for neuroscience. Human brains and elephant brain are different in more ways than one. Elephants have the largest brains by mass of all mammals, weighing in at a hefty 10. But, 98% of their neurons were located in the cerebellum, in the back of the brain. An elephants trunk is not only useful but its also very strong. With a mass of just over 5 kg 11 lb, elephant brains are larger than those of any other land animal, and although the largest whales have body masses twentyfold those of a typical elephant, whale brains are barely twice the mass of an elephants brain. Greetingelephants will sometimes greet each other by putting their tusks in each others mouths.
In this article, we will discuss about elephant intelligence and learn more about elephant brain, elephant behavior, elephant behaviour, and memory of elephant. Once they get to this age, they leave the herd and mainly live alone for the rest of their life. Elephants are among the worlds most intelligent species. With a mass of more than 11 pounds, an elephants brain is larger than any other land animal. Gross morphology, functions, comparative anatomy, and evolution jeheskel shoshania,c. There are two extremely important facts about elephants you wont find in our story below. Both female and male african elephants have tusks which they use to help find and dig for food.
They are found most often in savannas, grasslands, and forests but occupy a wide range of. Despite this, the cerebral cortex of the elephant brain, which. Elephants have brains that are 3 or 4 times the size of a human brain. The african elephant brain is about three times larger than the human brain and contains 257 billion neurons human brains have about 100 million. The african elephant brain had three times the number of neurons in a human brain, 257 billion to our 86 billion. This makes the elephant brain of interest both because it is an extreme. Elephants are among the world s most intelligent species. They can communicate over longer distances with a deep subsonic rumble, which passes quickly through the ground, allowing other elephants to pick it up through.
About 20% of the worlds human population lives in or near the present range of the asian elephant. Facts about elephants, african elephants and asian elephants. Populations have declined by 62% over the last decade, with 24,000 african elephants poached last year alone. An elephants brain is much larger than a human brain, but it only makes up 0. The elephant has a highly developed brain, which is the largest of all land mammals. August 12 is world elephant day a day to celebrate one of the planets most beloved animals and draw attention to the challenges they face. Elephants are born with 35% of the mass of the adult brain. Playan elephant uses its trunk to greet each other and play. Male african elephants can reach 3m tall and weigh between 4,000 7,500kg. So when you compare it to our brains, which take up 2% of our body weight, weve still got the largest brain to body size.
Brain research bulletin 70 2006 124157 elephant brain part i. The continually growing human population of tropical asia has encroached upon the elephants dense but dwindling forest habitat. National geographic kids is an exciting monthly read for planetpassionate boys and girls, aged 6. Although the largest whale is 20 times the body size of an elephant, its brain is just under twice the size. Male elephants will live with the herd until they are about years old. An elephant can be pregnant for 22 months and they are considered the animal with the longest gestation period of any mammal. Top 101 elephant facts for kids by anatomy, diet, family. Selfawareness elephants, along with humans, apes and dolphins, recognize themselves in a mirror, a measure of their selfawareness. While the elephant brain is larger overall, it is proportionally smaller. Elephants communicate with each other by purring, much like cats.