A team of researchers including palaeontologists, behavioural scientists, and neurologists have re-examined brain size and structure in dinosaurs and found that they were as smart as reptiles but not as intelligent as monkeys. This contradicts a study from last year which claimed that dinosaurs like T. rex were substantially more intelligent than assumed, with high neuron counts that could inform on intelligence, metabolism, and life history. It was suggested that T. rex may have possessed cognitive traits such as cultural transmission of knowledge and tool use, making them monkey-like in some habits. However, the new study published in The Anatomical Record found that previous assumptions about dinosaur brain size and neuron numbers were unreliable.
The team, led by Dr. Kai Caspar from Heinrich Heine University, found that previous estimates of dinosaur brain size, especially that of the forebrain, had been overestimated. They also discovered that neuron count estimates are not a reliable indicator of intelligence. The research highlights the importance of considering multiple lines of evidence when reconstructing the biology of extinct species, including skeletal anatomy, bone histology, behavior of living relatives, and trace fossils. The team argues that predicting intelligence in extinct species based solely on neuron counts reconstructed from endocasts is not a good practice.
According to Hady George from the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, determining the intelligence of dinosaurs and other extinct animals should involve a comprehensive approach rather than relying solely on neuron number estimates. Dr. Caspar emphasized the importance of not using neuron counts as the sole basis for predicting intelligence in long-extinct species. Dr. Ornella Bertrand from Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont added that neuron counts are not accurate predictors of cognitive performance, and relying on them to predict intelligence in long-extinct species can lead to misleading interpretations.
The researchers found that dinosaurs were more similar to smart giant crocodiles in terms of intelligence, contradicting the idea that they were as intelligent as baboons. Dr. Darren Naish concluded that while the notion of T. rex being as intelligent as a baboon is intriguing and frightening, the available data suggests otherwise. The study highlights the complexities of determining the intelligence of dinosaurs and other extinct animals, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach when reconstructing their behavior and cognitive abilities.
Overall, the research challenges previous assumptions about dinosaur intelligence based on neuron counts and emphasizes the importance of considering various lines of evidence to reconstruct the biology of extinct species accurately. The study suggests that dinosaurs were more similar to reptiles in terms of intelligence, like smart giant crocodiles, rather than being as intelligent as monkeys. This reevaluation of dinosaur intelligence sheds new light on their behavior and cognitive abilities, offering a more nuanced understanding of these fascinating creatures from the past.
