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A claim in search of evidence: reply to Manger’s thermogenesis hypothesis of cetacean brain structure
Author(s) -
Marino Lori,
Butti Camilla,
Connor Richard C.,
Fordyce R. Ewan,
Herman Louis M.,
Hof Patrick R.,
Lefebvre Louis,
Lusseau David,
McCowan Brenda,
Nimchinsky Esther A.,
Pack Adam A.,
Reidenberg Joy S.,
Reiss Diana,
Rendell Luke,
Uhen Mark D.,
Van der Gucht Estelle,
Whitehead Hal
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.993
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1469-185X
pISSN - 1464-7931
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2008.00049.x
Subject(s) - manger , cognition , social behaviour , biology , cognitive science , ecology , cognitive psychology , psychology , neuroscience , social psychology , geography , archaeology
In a recent publication in Biological Reviews , Manger (2006) made the controversial claim that the large brains of cetaceans evolved to generate heat during oceanic cooling in the Oligocene epoch and not, as is the currently accepted view, as a basis for an increase in cognitive or information‐processing capabilities in response to ecological or social pressures. Manger further argued that dolphins and other cetaceans are considerably less intelligent than generally thought. In this review we challenge Manger’s arguments and provide abundant evidence that modern cetacean brains are large in order to support complex cognitive abilities driven by social and ecological forces.