The primary distinction between humans’ and animals’ brains is that humans’ brains have remarkable cognitive capacity, which is a crowning achievement of evolution, whereas animals’ brains have comparatively less cognitive capacity. Furthermore, the cerebral cortex of the human brain, which is responsible for the higher cognitive capacity, is disproportionately large, accounting for more than 80% of total brain mass, whereas the cerebral cortex of the animal brain is not significantly larger. Human and animal brains are one of two parts of the central nervous system that control thoughts, memory, and body movement.
What is the Human Brain?
The brain is a part of the central nervous system that is located in the skull of humans. The brain’s primary function is to control the functions of the body by integrating, processing, and coordinating information in order to make decisions and send them to the effector organs. It is relatively large; the human brain weighs approximately 1.2 kg.
The cerebrum, brainstem, and cerebellum are the three main parts of the human brain. The cerebrum, which contains two cerebral hemispheres, is the largest part of the human brain. The cerebrum’s core is made up of white matter, whereas the cerebral cortex’s outer layer is made up of grey matter. Furthermore, the cerebral cortex is divided into two parts: the neocortex and the allocortex.
Furthermore, each hemisphere of the brain has four lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital. The front lobe is associated with executive functions such as self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thought in this context. The temporal lobe, on the other hand, is in charge of visual memory, language comprehension, and emotion association.
The parietal lobe is in charge of spatial sense and navigation, while the occipital lobe is in charge of visual processing. Although the left and right hemispheres are similar in size and shape, the left hemisphere is in charge of functions such as language, while the right hemisphere is in charge of visual-spatial abilities.
What is Animals Brain?
The brain of an animal is also a part of the central nervous system, and it is located in the head region. Animal brains can be classified into three types based on their structure. They are the brains of invertebrates, vertebrates, and mammals. Mollusk, arthropod, worm, and tardigrade brains are examples of invertebrates’ brains. The most complex brains are found in arthropods and mollusks. They are made up of two parallel nerve cords that run the length of the body. The arthropod brain is the supraesophageal ganglion, and mollusk brains are the largest.
Furthermore, the prosencephalon (forebrain), mesencephalon (midbrain), and rhombencephalon are the three major parts of the vertebrate brain (hindbrain).
The telencephalon (cerebral hemispheres), diencephalon (thalamus and hypothalamus), mesencephalon (midbrain), cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata are the six parts of the vertebrate brain. The main distinction between vertebrate and mammalian brains is their size. In addition, the midbrain and hindbrain of mammals are small, whereas the forebrain is large. Humans and primates have massive cerebral cortex expansion, which improves their cognitive capacity.
Difference between Humans Brain and Animals Brain
S.NO | Human Brains | Animal Brains |
1 | However, the brains of humans and animals differ in that humans have a three-fold larger relative brain size between body mass/weight and brain size. | Animals have a relatively small brain size. |
2 | The thickness of the cortex layer in humans is high. | The thickness of the cortex layer in animals is low. |
3 | The cerebral cortex of the human brain is disproportionately large, accounting for more than 80% of total brain mass. | Whereas the cerebral cortex of the animal brain is comparatively small. |
4 | Humans’ natural navigation ability is less developed. | Some animals, such as pigeons, respond to magnetic fields to find their location. |
5 | Cerebral cortex of the human brain contains approximately 16 billion neurons. | The cerebral cortex of the animal brain contains a comparatively smaller number of neurons. |
6 | Neurogenesis occurs only in the brain regions responsible for memory and smell in both animals and mammals. | Neurogenesis occurs in all parts of the non-mammal brain. |
Conclusion
The brain of an animal is also a part of the central nervous system, and it is located in the head region. The cerebrum, brainstem, and cerebellum are the three main parts of the human brain. Furthermore, the cerebral cortex of the human brain, which is responsible for the higher cognitive capacity, is disproportionately large, accounting for more than 80% of total brain mass, whereas the cerebral cortex of the animal brain is not significantly larger. The brain is a part of the central nervous system that is located in the skull of humans. The brain’s primary function is to control the functions of the body by integrating, processing, and coordinating information in order to make decisions and send them to the effector organs. The brain of an animal is also a part of the central nervous system, and it is located in the head region. The arthropod brain is the supraesophageal ganglion, and mollusk brains are the largest.