Abstract
Intelligence has evolved many times independently among vertebrates.
Primates, elephants and cetaceans are assumed to be more intelligent
than 'lower' mammals, the great apes and humans more than monkeys,
and humans more than the great apes. Brain properties assumed to
be relevant for intelligence are the (absolute or relative) size
of the brain, cortex, prefrontal cortex and degree of encephalization.
However, factors that correlate better with intelligence are the
number of cortical neurons and conduction velocity, as the basis
for information-processing capacity. Humans have more cortical neurons
than other mammals, although only marginally more than whales and
elephants. The outstanding intelligence of humans appears to result
from a combination and enhancement of properties found in non-human
primates, such as theory of mind, imitation and language, rather
than from 'unique' properties.
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