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This week’s EleFact talks about elephant brains and what they’re capable of. We know after years of work that elephants are incredibly intelligent on many levels. But what is it about their brains that contribute to this intelligence and their emotional awareness? 

Weighing in at over 5kg (11lbs), elephants have the largest brains of any living or extinct land mammal. At birth, the elephant’s brain already weighs 30-40% of its adult weight. Both Asian and African elephants have a very large neocortex, similar to humans, other apes, and certain species of dolphins. The size of the cerebral cortex, which contributes to cognitive processing, is larger than any primate species, and it is suggested that elephants are on the same level as great apes in terms of cognitive abilities for tool use and tool making, and are equal to dolphins in terms of problem solving. 

The hippocampus contributes to the ability to process emotion and memory. In elephants, the hippocampus is very large and much bigger proportionally than in any human, primate, or cetacean. While it is believed that the hippocampus plays a significant role in relationship building, recent studies indicate it is increasingly emerging as part of a “moral brain” as well. Other research shows that chronic stress can cause hippocampus atrophy. 

In captive elephants, there are often aspects of behavior that can’t be fully explained, but are linked to a lifetime of trauma. Some, who we know have suffered during their lifetimes in captivity, can occasionally seem to get a little “stuck” when it comes to social behaviors. There is no doubt that trauma affects such emotional beings deeply, but it is also possible that there are physiological reasons that an individual’s past experiences may impact their ability or willingness to socialize or build relationships.

There is still plenty of research to be done regarding the brains of elephants, but it’s easy to see that their intelligence and emotional awareness are deeply rooted in their biology. 

Photo of Maia and her big brain