IUBio

Dolphin brain

who at cares.com who at cares.com
Tue Jan 26 10:23:51 EST 1999


>
>Sorry, brains aren't my specialty, so I can't answer your question. But
>just as an interesting point, I seem to recall reading once that
>dolphins sleep half their brain at a time, so that they can keep
>swimming and breathing using the remaining, awake half. They then
>periodically switch halves, so that the whole brain is rested. Can
>anyone else confirm this? 

I wish.
But, I can say that humans sleep with onlky "part" of their brain: the
brainstem (medulla, pons) remeains inherentkly active or indeed
breathing fails (BPressure etc).

Perhaps a large brain is required so that
>certain functions can be duplicated.

The "large" in dolfin & primate brain refers mostly to neocortex.
These are not essential for homeostasis.

Justus



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