Re: Cognitive dinosaurs?

[Dino Guy Ralph <dinoguyralph@earthlink.net>]

Currie and Padian's _Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs_ has several articles of 
interest on
these topics.  See "Behavior," "Braincase Anatomy," "Intelligence," and
"Paleoneurology."  Then locate and read the references listed at the end of 
each of
these articles.

In brief, large animals whose cognitive abilities are roughly equivalent to 
closely
related small animals will have disproportionately small brains.  This is 
typical
animal allometry.  For example, compare the relative brain sizes or lions and 
house
cats.  Compare wolf skulls to chihuahua skulls.

Dinosaurs are big and have relatively small brains.  No surprise there.  Their
"encephalization quotients" compare favorably with those of other reptiles and 
some
dinosaurs (such as troodontids) were in league with modern day birds (though at 
the
lower end of the extant avian encephalization spectrum).

A search on "encephalization quotient" at <www.google.com> provides 465 results.
That should get you started.  Who knows?  There might even be posts in the 
Dinosaur
Mailing List archives.  ;^)

--------Ralph W. Miller III
            ralph.miller@alumni.usc.edu

"Ha, ha!  Stupid dinosaurs!  You're not even smart enough to engineer your own 
mass
extinction event!"
"Doh!"