List of animals by number of neurons

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This is a list of animals by number of neurons in their brain. These numbers are estimations derived by multiplying the density of neurons in a particular animal by the average weight or mass of the animal's brain

[edit] Overview

Neurons are the cells in the brain which transmit information to and from body parts. In the simplest organisms, they act only to drive the organism to respond to certain stimuli. In higher organisms, reasoning abilities come into play and we can see animals working collectively to achieve a similar goal. Not all animals have neurons; Trichoplax and sponges lack nerve cells altogether.

The number of neurons and their relative abundance in different parts of the brain is a determinant of neural function and, consequently, of behavior.

[edit] Sortable list

Name Neurons Details Source
Ant 10,000 Varies per species, in reality:10,000-100,000
[1]


C. elegans 302
[2]


Cat 200,000,000
[3]


Cockroach 1,000,000
[4]
Frog 16,000,000
[5]
Fruit fly 100,000
[6]
Honey Bee 850,000
[7]
Human 100,000,000,000 Adult
[8]


Octopus 300,000,000
[9]
Pond snail 11,000
[10]
Rat 21,000,000
[11]


Sea slug 7,000
[12]
Trichoplax 0
[13]
Elephants and Whales 200,000,000,000
[14]
Zebrafish 10,000
[15]

[edit] References