Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Large declines in organofluorine contamination indicated by subarctic marine mammal tissues.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Nontarget and suspect screening reveals the presence of multiple plastic-related compounds in polar bear, killer whale, narwhal and long-finned pilot whale blubber from East Greenland.

Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)·2024
Same author

Comparative transcriptome and methylome of polar bears, giant and red pandas reveal diet-driven adaptive evolution.

Evolutionary applications·2024
Same author

Exploring avian exposure to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): Using the common eider Somateria mollissima in a global context.

The Science of the total environment·2024
Same author

Effects of Social Facilitation and Introduction Methods for Cattle on Virtual Fence Adaptation.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI·2024
Same author

Using Activity Measures and GNSS Data from a Virtual Fencing System to Assess Habitat Preference and Habitat Utilisation Patterns in Cattle.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

A Comparative Approach for Quantitative Cell Counting Studies in Widely Different Mammalian Brains
07:14

A Comparative Approach for Quantitative Cell Counting Studies in Widely Different Mammalian Brains

Published on: January 16, 2026

390

Quantitative relationships in delphinid neocortex.

Heidi S Mortensen1, Bente Pakkenberg2, Maria Dam3

  • 1Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg University Hospitals Copenhagen, Denmark ; Research Department, Environment Agency Torshavn, Faroe Islands.

Frontiers in Neuroanatomy
|December 16, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cetaceans like the long-finned pilot whale possess more neocortical neurons than humans, challenging previous hypotheses about brain size and cognitive abilities. This study reveals key insights into mammalian brain cell counts and evolution.

Keywords:
animal cognitionglia/neuron rationeocortical cell densityneocortical cell numberstereology

More Related Videos

Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
09:55

Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex

Published on: September 5, 2018

9.0K
Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
06:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging

Published on: November 21, 2023

1.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 19, 2026

A Comparative Approach for Quantitative Cell Counting Studies in Widely Different Mammalian Brains
07:14

A Comparative Approach for Quantitative Cell Counting Studies in Widely Different Mammalian Brains

Published on: January 16, 2026

390
Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
09:55

Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex

Published on: September 5, 2018

9.0K
Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
06:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging

Published on: November 21, 2023

1.5K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Zoology

Background:

  • Cetaceans are known for large brains and complex behaviors, suggesting high intelligence.
  • Their brains are the largest in the animal kingdom with significant gyrification.
  • Previous studies lacked unbiased cell counts in cetacean brains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the total number of cells in the neocortex of the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) brain.
  • To compare cetacean neocortical neuron numbers with other mammals, including humans.
  • To discuss the functional implications of neuron counts in relation to brain size and cognition.

Main Methods:

  • Employed stereological methods for unbiased cell counting.
  • Focused on estimating neuron and glial cell numbers in the neocortex.
  • Compared findings with existing data across diverse mammalian species.

Main Results:

  • The long-finned pilot whale neocortex contains approximately 37.2 billion neurons and 127 billion glial cells.
  • This species has more neocortical neurons than any mammal studied to date, including humans.
  • Neuron density in pilot whales is lower than in humans, with higher cell numbers attributed to larger brain size.

Conclusions:

  • The absolute number of neocortical neurons does not solely determine superior cognitive abilities.
  • Cetacean brain structure, particularly neuron count, contributes significantly to their cognitive capacity.
  • Findings offer crucial data for understanding quantitative relationships within mammalian brains and intelligence.