Humans are considered to be the most intelligent living organisms on earth. Humans have the ability to think and react to situations, whereas, animals do not. Human brain is considered large compared to the animal brain. Let us see the important difference between the human brain and animal brain.
Human Brain vs Animal Brain
Following are the important difference between human brain and animal brain:
Smell
The olfactory bulb of humans is smaller as compared to animals. Two rodents, capybara and agouti, have the largest olfactory bulbs among all mammals. Olfactory bulbs of bears are five times bigger than humans.
Navigation
The pigeon’s brain has specialised cells that can respond to magnetic stimulus. They can detect their geographical position by detecting changes in the earth’s magnetic field.
Photographic Memory
Children can memorize a lot of information due to photographic memory. Chimpanzees possess the same quality. When compared with humans, young chimpanzees have a better ability to memorize the number sequences.
Brain Size
The brain size of most of the animals is smaller than that of humans (1.2 kg). But there are still several animals that have a brain size larger than the humans. These include dolphins (1.5-1.7 kg), elephants and blue whales (5 kg), killer whales (6 kg).
More Glia
Glia are the supportive cells of neurons. The glia to neuron ratio is the indicator of brainpower. The glia to neuron ratio of a Minke whale is 5.5 times greater than that of humans. A few animals have a smaller glia to neuron ratio.
Neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the process of replacing damaged or lost neurons. Teleost fish performs neurogenesis at a rate of 100 times higher than mammals. In mammals, neurogenesis occurs at a specific rate during development. Later, the process is restricted to the areas of the brain responsible for smell and memory.
What is the Human Brain?
Human brain is the part of the central nervous system located inside the skull. It controls and coordinates all the functions of the body. It is divided into:
- Cerebrum
- Cerebellum
- Brain stem
Cerebrum is the largest part of the human brain with two cerebral hemispheres. The brainstem connects the cerebrum to the spinal cord. It is made up of medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain.
Also Read: Animal Nervous System
What is Animal Brain?
Animal brain is also located in the central nervous system. It is of three types:
- Invertebrates’ brain
- Vertebrates’ brain
- Mammals’ brain
The most complex invertebrates’ brain occur in arthropods, that comprises, twin parallel nerve cords extending through the body.
A vertebrates; brain is made up of a forebrain, a midbrain and a hindbrain.
Similarities Between Human and Animal Brain
The similarities between human brain and animal brain include:
- The human and the animal brain form a part of the central nervous system.
- The brain of both are made up of neurons and neuroglia.
- Its main function is to control thoughts and body movement.
- The brain of all the vertebrate animals is divided into forebrain, midbrain, cerebellum, hind brain, medulla oblongata and pons.
Also Read: Human Nervous System
For more information on the difference between human brain and animal brain, keep visiting BYJU’S website or download BYJU’S app.
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