Koalas smooth brains

Scientific name: Phascolarctos cinereus Conservation status: Vulnerable Koalas smooth brains size: cm Weight: kg. Early settlers miscalled the koala the koala bear, due to its resemblance to a bear. Koalas are stocky with large heads.

The koala was clinging to an old tree stag while stranded in the Murray River, on the border between New South Wales and Victoria. A team of students from La Trobe University noticed its predicament as they were paddling by in canoes. The koala could have swum ashore if it had wanted to—it was close enough, and koalas are not particularly bothered by rain or water. They are capable, if not elegant, swimmers who launch themselves into rivers and swim with an effective doggy paddle to the other side. If a boat is offered, however, they will readily accept the more comfortable mode of transport.

Koalas smooth brains

Did you know that the koala is the dumbest animal in the world? According to an Internet meme , koalas have really tiny brains because the eucalyptus leaves that they eat are toxic and poor in nutrition. Poor koalas! That sounds really bad. I wanted to see what this Homer Simpson brain looks like, so I did a little search. In this blog post, my goal is to explain why this Wikipedia paragraph is highly misleading. In fact, I want to do more than that. I want to demonstrate that you can figure it out yourself. It was not too many years ago when only university researchers could have access to the resource needed to mess around with brain data. But with the rise of data science, almost any curious person with basic knowledge in programming and statistics can try to answer questions about this world, and even get some answers, on a Friday night with nothing else to do. In this notebook produced with a popular software called Jupyter , you can see me load a brain size dataset, ask myself questions about koalas, and answer them with short programs written in the R programming language. Some plots are interactive so you can check out the brain size of your favorite animals. The point is that everything I say in this post come from these rather simple notebooks. My personal gratitude for these wonderful people:. This expanded dataset with common names, along with my notebooks, are all available on GitHub.

We really need to radically rethink our common assumptions about the size of koala koalas smooth brains and how they work. The variation in the size of mammals' brain is huge.

The common misconception is that koalas are dumb because the koala brain is tiny. Marsupials, as a whole, tend to have smaller brains than other mammals, and scientists do not use the brain-to-body ratio as an intelligence parameter. Yes, it is one of the smallest brains within mammals, but Koalas are not lazy and slow because of that but most likely because of their nutrition-poor diet of otherwise toxic eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are endearing marsupials native to Australia, known for their cute appearance. As one of the most iconic Australian animals, understanding the koala brain is interesting even helpful if we want to help their conservation. Scientists analyze animal intelligence through various methods, such as observing problem-solving abilities, social behaviors, learning and adaptation, memory, and communication skills.

The brain of the koala is about 20 ml in volume. The cerebral hemispheres are relatively smooth lissencephalic and reduced in size compared with other diprotodontids Haight and Nelson, , such that the superior and inferior colliculi, pineal gland, and even the roof of the third ventricle are exposed. This reduction in cortical size and therefore cerebral metabolism may be an adaptation to the poor quality of their diet. The functional areas of the cerebral cortex have not been assessed physiologically, so the labelling of S1, V1 and Au1 in the accompanying illustrations is putative based on cellular patterns in neuronal Nissl stained specimens from the Nelson collection. The cerebellum is foliated, but the cerebellar hemispheres are not as elaborate as in other diprotodontids, reflecting poor development of the cerebro ponto cerebellar circuitry. In Possums and Opossums: Studies in Evolution ed. Sydney: Surrey Beatty and Sons. Koala Phascolarctos cinereus Family Phascolarctidae The brain of the koala is about 20 ml in volume.

Koalas smooth brains

Size and weight: Koalas average in 70 to 90cm in length and weigh anywhere from 9 to 20 lbs kg. Females tend to be both slightly smaller and slightly less heavy than males. This size difference is most likely an adaptation to deal with colder climates in the south. Physical Features: Although commonly referred to as bears, koalas are actually marsupials—an infraclass of mammals most commonly known for their pouches. Immediately after birth, underdeveloped newborns migrate to these pouches, or marsupiums, where they will continue to feed and grow for the next several months.

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But sometimes that average is influenced by an outlier. Brains, though, have more than one way of doing the same thing. They have few arboreal predators to hide from and their best defense from hunters on the ground is to stay still and quiet and pass unnoticed—even sleeping while they do so. It appears that you are currently using Ad Blocking software. In most mammals, the brain is pressed hard against the skull and squeezed into every space possible. The koala brain is not immune to the effects of habitat loss , fragmentation, and climate change. However, their populations have declined due to several factors, including habitat loss, climate change, disease, and bushfires. Though their brains may appear simplistic at first glance, koalas possess cognitive abilities that allow them to thrive in their habitat. What are the consequences? This document is subject to copyright.

The koala Phascolarctos cinereus , sometimes called the koala bear , is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland , New South Wales , Victoria , and South Australia.

In reality, the relationship between x and y is a nonlinear power function. Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. The point is that everything I say in this post come from these rather simple notebooks. Rather than using instinct, the neocortex is capable of more complex responses to changes in the environment by learning, interacting and making more intricate interpretations of the world. An analysis published in suggests that marsupials' smaller brain is constrained by energy consumption rather than behavioral complexity. Does Your Dog Have a Job? This expanded dataset with common names, along with my notebooks, are all available on GitHub. It's a widespread belief that has led to many peculiar assumptions about koalas, their ecology and the likelihood of their survival. The variation in the size of mammals' brain is huge. Some birds are capable of complex problem-solving and formidable feats of memory, and have mastered tool use and language for their own purposes—rivaling the much-vaunted skills of many big-brained primates and cetaceans. Both of these factors likely led anatomists to think that koalas' brains rattled about in their skulls, floating in liquid. As for koalas, they have some traits that could be perceived as signs of lower intelligence and some that may indicate cognitive abilities: Perceived signs of lower intelligence:. Koalas have one of the lowest brain to body mass ratios of any mammal. Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.