Question

If a Manatee and a Californian Sea lion's Brain are roughly the same size whihc mammel will have a cerebal cortex with a larger surface area and why?
How does this reflect the different feeding habits of the mammels?

thank you

Answer 1

Without seeking references, I would assume that the sea lion's brain would be larger, because it moves more quickly and more in 3-dimensions than two to catch its prey. As a mammal, the manatee , a vegetarian, typically swims more slowly and is in relatively shallow areas in rivers. Thus I would infer that the areas governing voluntary movement would be larger with the sea lion.

Since this is not my main area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "<I>manatee 'sea lion' brain</I>" to get this possible source:

http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-01/tst0507_24.pdf

In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search.

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.