Comparative Neuroanatomy

Compare and contrast the brains from these different mammals and ask yourself the questions at the bottom of this page. Note that these brains are NOT drawn to scale.

Directions

(These figures were reproduced with the permission of Dr. Wally Welker of the Mammalian Brain Collection at the University of Wisconsin)

Now that you have seen these brains, ask yourself the following questions.

  1. What are the similarities and differences between the brains?
  2. What are their relative sizes?
  3. Identify areas of the brain. Cortex? Cerebellum?
  4. Are there noticeable differences in any particular parts of the brains?
  5. Is the cortex smooth or rough?
  6. Compare the placement of the cerebellum and spinal cord.
  7. Compare the size of the olfactory bulb.
  8. Compare the size of the cerebral cortex.
  9. Discuss brain weight vs body weight issues.
  10. Discuss brain size and intelligence.
  11. Discuss language and brain size.
  12. Discuss cortical expansion in higher species.

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