Cetaceans Have Complex Brains for Complex Cognition

2007/05/10 by Lori Marino, Richard C. Connor, R. Ewan Fordyce +13 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Marine animal studies overview #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Cephalopods and Marine Biology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050139

openalex publication_date 2007/05/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

We believe that the time is ripe to present an integrated view of cetacean brains, behavior, and evolution based on the wealth of accumulated and recent data on these topics. Our conclusions support the more generally accepted view that the large brain of cetaceans evolved to support complex cognitive abilities.

Citations

• Vocal traditions among resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal waters of British Columbia
• Cultural transmission of tool use in bottlenose dolphins
• Structure of the cerebral cortex of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae)
• Cultural transmission within maternal lineages: vocal clans in resident killer whales in southern Alaska
• Intuition and autism: a possible role for Von Economo neurons
• Trends, Rhythms, and Aberrations in Global Climate 65 Ma to Present
• Self-recognition in an Asian elephant
• Bubble ring play of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Implications for cognition.

Cited by

• Orca [wikipedia]