Which Animal Has the Largest Brain? Comparison, Functions & Exam Tips
If I ask you what is the smartest and most intelligent animal, your answer would be dolphins. But, in fact, chimpanzees are the smartest animals. They have sharper memories than dolphins. They are also more aware of themselves. Do you know the brain is present in every animal, or some animals are without a brain? Some invertebrates, such as sponges, do not have brains. Do you think intelligence is directly linked to brain size? Does larger brain size mean more intelligence? Or smaller brain size means less intelligence? To know the answer, continue reading this article!
What is a Brain?
Brian is a complex organ found in all vertebrates and some invertebrates. It is our main organ that performs all complex functions. It is an organ that controls our thoughts, emotions, memory, hunger, temperature, and every process that regulates the body of an organism. Brain size is one of the main indicators of intelligence, and it is determined by weight and sometimes by skull volume.
Largest Brain Animal
Many mammals have the largest brain size compared to their body size. Some mammals have the largest brain size, as given below;
Sperm Whale - The brain of a sperm whale is the largest, the sperm head constitutes 25-30 percent of the whole body length. The average weight of a sperm whale head is 18 pounds, and the volume is 500 cubic inches.
The Killer Whale - It is also a sea creature with the biggest brain. These are also known as Orcas. They have a brain weight of between 12 and 15 pounds. They are also intelligent animals.
Elephant - An elephant has the largest brain size among living land-dwelling mammals. An elephant's brain is present on the back side, not the front side. The average weight of the elephant's brain is 12 pounds and a little less than the sperm whale.
Dolphin - It is known as one of the most intelligent creatures; its brain comprises 1.19 percent of the whole body weight.
Smallest Brain Animal
The ragworm is an animal similar to an earthworm with the smallest brain. The ragworm is very small in size. It is equivalen to almost one strand of human hair. The neurons of these animals' brains work the same as human neurons.
Functions of Brain
The brain is the most important organ of organisms. It performs various functions and controls the overall mechanism of the body. Some of the functions of the brain are given below:
Perception - Sense organs help us to perceive various information, and then this perceived information goes to the brain for analysis.
Motor control - All voluntary and involuntary motor functions are in direct or indirect regulation of the central nervous system.
Sleep - The pineal gland present in the brain is responsible for maintaining the sleep-wake sleep-wake cycle.
Homeostasis - Maintaining a constant body environment is done by the hypothalamus.
Motivation and Learning - Motivation and learning are greatly maintained by the amygdala.
Memory - Hippocampus is the most important part of the brain for storing memory.
Interesting Facts
Brain storage capacity is unlimited for humans.
The spinal cords stop rowing at the age of 4.
A human brain can generate enough power to light a bulb; this power is equivalent to 23 watts.
The brain can't feel pain, it can only interpret pain.
After middle age, the human brain starts decreasing in size.
Our brain has 20 percent of oxygen and blood in the overall body.
An adult barbarian weighs a maximum of about 3 pounds.
Important Questions
Q1. Which is the heaviest and largest brain animal in the world?
Ans: Sperm whales are one of the animals with the heaviest and largest brains in the world. Its brain can weigh up to 20 pounds. But a big brain means not having more intelligence.
Q2. What animal is smarter than a human?
Ans: Chimpanzees are primates and are somewhat smarter than humans in storing memory. They are better than humans at memory tasks.
Q3. What are the most intelligent dogs?
Ans: There are many breeds of dogs. But Border Collies are one of the most intelligent breeds of dogs. It is the smartest known breed of dog.
Key Features
In this article, we have studied the brain, the heaviest and lightest brain, and the functions of brain.
The heaviest and largest brain animal in the world is the sperm whale, and killer whale elephants and dolphins also have large and heavy brains.
A ragworm is an animal with the smallest brain size, and the size of a ragworm is equal to one hair strand of a human.
The brain has a variety of functions such as motor response, memory, thinking, perceptions, homeostasis, etc.
Practice Questions
Q1. Which land animal has the largest brain?
Q2. What animal has the smallest brain?
Q3. Which is the heaviest brain mammal?
Q4. How intelligent is the sperm whale?
Q5. Which is the smartest animal?
FAQs on Largest Brain Animal: Facts & Significance
1. Which animal officially has the largest brain in the world?
The Sperm Whale has the largest and heaviest brain of any known animal. An adult sperm whale's brain can weigh up to 9 kilograms (around 20 pounds), making it the most massive brain in the animal kingdom in terms of sheer size.
2. What is the largest brain animal on land?
On land, the African Elephant holds the record for the largest brain. Their brains weigh around 5 kilograms (11 pounds) and are highly complex, which contributes to their renowned memory and sophisticated social structures.
3. Does having the biggest brain mean an animal is the smartest?
No, absolute brain size is not a direct measure of intelligence. Scientists often look at the brain-to-body mass ratio (Encephalization Quotient or EQ). Humans, for example, have a very high EQ, meaning our brains are exceptionally large for our body size. This is a better indicator of cognitive abilities than just the total weight of the brain.
4. Why did animals like whales and dolphins evolve to have such large brains?
Large brains in marine mammals like whales and dolphins evolved to handle complex tasks essential for their survival. Key reasons include:
- Complex Socialisation: Managing relationships and communicating within large, dynamic social groups.
- Echolocation: Processing complex sound information to navigate, hunt, and communicate in the ocean.
- Motor Skills: Controlling massive bodies for intricate movements like hunting and deep diving.
5. How does a human brain compare to an elephant's or a whale's brain?
While an elephant's brain is about three times larger than a human's, the human brain is structured differently. Our brain has a significantly larger and more densely folded cerebral cortex, the area responsible for complex functions like language, abstract thought, and problem-solving. This structural complexity, not just size, is key to our intelligence.
6. What is the importance of brain size in the animal kingdom?
Brain size is important as it generally correlates with the complexity of an animal's body and its behaviours. A larger body requires a larger brain to manage its sensory and motor functions. Furthermore, a larger brain allows for more sophisticated abilities like memory, learning, and social interaction, which provide significant evolutionary advantages.
7. Which animal has the smallest brain?
Pinpointing the absolute smallest brain is difficult, but some of the tiniest belong to microscopic organisms and certain insects. For instance, the brain of a ragworm, a tiny marine worm, is smaller than a pinhead. This shows how brain size is adapted to an animal's specific needs and body size.
