Dr. Lori Marino

Cetacean neuroanatomy and cognitive evolution

• • Documented sperm whales possess the largest brains on Earth (7.8 kg)
• • Showed dolphin brain-to-body ratios are second only to humans
• • Discovered spindle cells (Von Economo neurons) in cetacean brains — previously thought unique to humans and great apes
• • Established cetacean brains as an alternative evolutionary pathway to complex intelligence
• • Demonstrated evolutionary convergence in psychology between cetaceans and humans