Have you ever wondered what we could learn from a dinosaur’s brain if we found it as a fossil millions of years from now? Let’s dive into the fascinating world of dinosaur brains and discover what scientists can learn from them!
When scientists study dinosaur brains, they don’t actually find the brain itself. Instead, they might find the skull, and from there, they can create something called an endocast. An endocast is like a mold of the inside of the skull where the brain used to be. In the past, scientists used a rubber-like material to make these molds, but today, they often use CT scanners to create digital versions.
The brain of a T. rex is about the same length as a human brain, but it looks different. It’s long and skinny, kind of like a balloon used for making balloon animals. By studying endocasts, scientists have learned that T. rex had a large olfactory bulb, which means it had a great sense of smell. This was crucial for hunting or scavenging, even more so than its vision, which is often exaggerated in movies.
While we can’t say exactly how many smells a T. rex could detect, we know its sense of smell was very advanced. By comparing the size of its olfactory bulb to those of animals today, scientists believe it was much better at smelling than humans and possibly even dogs.
Scientists often look at the size of an animal’s brain compared to its body to estimate intelligence. This is called the encephalization quotient (EQ). Humans have a high EQ of about seven, while T. rex had an EQ of around 1.5, meaning its brain was slightly larger than expected for its body size.
Some dinosaurs, like Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus, had brains only slightly larger than a walnut, even though they were much bigger than T. rex. This is because they were herbivores and didn’t need to hunt for food, which requires more brainpower.
Dinosaurs had smooth brains, similar to many animals today, like mice. Humans, on the other hand, have brains with lots of folds and grooves. These folds increase the surface area, allowing for more neurons and connections, which helps with complex thinking and processing.
While T. rex had some similarities to bird brains, it was somewhere between a bird brain and a traditional reptile brain. Its large olfactory bulb shows it relied heavily on smell, but its decision-making areas were smaller compared to smarter dinosaurs like Velociraptors.
If you’re interested in learning more about dinosaurs, check out The Dinosaur Show on YouTube, where you can explore various dinosaur topics and find out what your favorite dinosaur is!
Imagine you’re a paleontologist! Use clay or playdough to create a model of a dinosaur skull. Then, make an endocast by filling the skull with a different color of clay to represent the brain. This will help you understand how scientists study dinosaur brains.
Test your sense of smell by participating in a “smell test” activity. Blindfold yourself and try to identify different scents from everyday items. Compare your results with your classmates to see who has the best sense of smell, just like a T. rex!
Research the brain sizes of different animals and create a chart comparing their encephalization quotients (EQ). Discuss with your classmates how brain size relates to intelligence and survival strategies in the animal kingdom.
Use paper or clay to create models of smooth and folded brains. Discuss why humans have folded brains and how this affects our thinking abilities compared to dinosaurs and other animals.
Participate in a debate about which dinosaur you think was the smartest. Use evidence from the article and additional research to support your argument. Consider factors like brain size, olfactory abilities, and hunting strategies.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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**Question for you. If I found your brain as a fossil in 70 million years’ time, how would I be able to tell anything about you?**
This is my friend Dustin, a dinosaur expert, author, and host of The Dinosaur Show.
**Well first, you wouldn’t find my brain. You might find my skull. And then you could take an endocast. What is an endocast, for those playing along at home?**
For those at home, an endocast is when you take a rubber-like substance and put it inside the empty space in the skull where the brain cavity was. Nowadays, we often use CT scanners to create a digital endocast.
**Right. So from a brain cast, we can tell generally the size and shape of the brain. Usually, we can’t see exact structures, but we can determine the general size and shape of the brain. So what does a T. rex brain look like?**
A T. rex brain is generally about the same length and size as a human brain, but it’s much less bulbous—more long and skinny, almost like a balloon used for making balloon animals. We actually sculpted a T. rex brain out of clay.
**Exactly. Do I look like a T. rex?**
You look like a T. rex now.
**I do not. So what do we know about a T. rex’s behavior or abilities based on filling their skull with a mold?**
Okay. You fill a skull with a mold to create an endocast. Based on this one in particular, you can see it has a large olfactory bulb, which tells us that T. rex relied heavily on its sense of smell. This was very important to them, much more so than vision, despite what is portrayed in movies.
**In humans, we can detect around a trillion smells. What about a T. rex? Can we estimate how many smells a T. rex could detect?**
I don’t know that we can estimate the exact number of smells a T. rex could detect, but we can assess the quality of its sense of smell compared to ours or a dog’s. Based on the size of the olfactory bulb, we know that their sense of smell was incredibly important, likely for hunting or scavenging.
**We generally look at animals alive today and can think about their intelligence level based on the overall size of the brain compared to their body size. There’s something called an encephalization quotient (EQ). For an animal of a certain size, you expect it to have a certain sized brain. If it meets that expectation, it would be a one numerically. Humans have a high EQ, around seven. A dolphin’s is about four and a half, and a chimp’s is a bit lower. For T. rex, its EQ was a little over one, around 1.5. So its brain is only slightly larger than we would expect for an animal of its size.**
**I’ve heard that some dinosaur brains are the size of a walnut. Is there any truth to that?**
Absolutely. Large dinosaurs like Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus had brains slightly larger than a walnut, even though those animals were much bigger than T. rex.
**That’s wild. Do you think that’s because they didn’t have to hunt for their food?**
Exactly. Herbivores have an easier time finding food compared to predators like T. rex.
**Another good point is that dinosaurs had smooth brains. Many animals, including mice, have smooth brains. I didn’t know that. So humans have all these folds and grooves in our brains. What do those do?**
Those folds increase the surface area of the cerebral cortex. If you spread out all the folded parts of the brain, it could be the size of a newspaper, allowing for more neurons and connections.
**I think a lot of this comes back to how we infer brain function from brain structure. Do you think the T. rex brain is the original “bird brain”?**
No, T. rex is somewhere between a bird brain and what we think of as a traditional reptile brain. It has a large olfactory bulb, indicating reliance on smell, but the areas of the brain responsible for processing and decision-making are smaller compared to modern birds or other dinosaurs like Velociraptors, which were likely much smarter.
**Well, there you have it. Dustin also has a YouTube channel called The Dinosaur Show, which is really cool. I love dinosaurs, so I enjoy your videos.**
Thank you! I am on The Dinosaur Show with Dustin, where we talk about various topics.
**If you would like to see that, I highly recommend it. I’ll put a link here so you can check it out and find out what your favorite dinosaur is. Thank you!**
Thank you!
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This version maintains the essence of the conversation while removing informalities and ensuring clarity.
Dinosaur – A group of extinct reptiles that lived millions of years ago, known for their large size and diverse species. – Scientists study dinosaur bones to learn more about how these ancient creatures lived.
Brain – The organ inside the skull that controls thought, memory, emotion, and activity in the body. – The human brain is responsible for processing information from our senses.
Endocast – A cast of the inside of a skull, used to study the brain shape and size of extinct animals. – Paleontologists use endocasts to understand the brain structure of dinosaurs.
Smell – The sense that allows organisms to detect and identify odors in their environment. – Many animals rely on their sense of smell to find food and avoid predators.
Intelligence – The ability to learn, understand, and apply knowledge to adapt to new situations. – Dolphins are known for their high intelligence and complex social behaviors.
Herbivores – Animals that primarily eat plants and vegetation. – Herbivores like deer and rabbits play an important role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems.
Neurons – Specialized cells in the nervous system that transmit information through electrical and chemical signals. – Neurons communicate with each other to process information in the brain.
Folds – Ridges and grooves on the surface of the brain that increase its surface area and cognitive abilities. – The folds in the human brain allow for more neurons and complex thought processes.
Reptiles – A class of cold-blooded, scaly-skinned vertebrates that includes snakes, lizards, and turtles. – Reptiles are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature.
Fossils – Preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms found in rocks. – Fossils provide important evidence about life on Earth millions of years ago.
