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It is also quite possible that harvesting fruits requires more brainpower (advanced spatial understanding, good memory, motor functions etc) which gave rise to

It is also quite possible that harvesting fruits requires more brainpower (advanced spatial understanding, good memory, motor functions etc) which gave rise to the evolutionary pressure for cerebral development. [Hmm, seems authors have considered that possibility] but Further down the article: >He suspects that diet allowed, rather than drove, the evolution of big brains. Well, why? [Edit: removed question about (flying) frugivores, don't know how I missed the easy explanation, thank you] [

swayvil 4y ago
>Also, why don't fruit eating birds or bats have big brains? Because big brains are aerodynamically impractical?
- dotancohen 4y ago
  It would probably be more of a weight issue that an aerodynamic issue. And not for the brain itself, but rather for the strong neck necessary to support a large organ so far from the body's center of mass while in flight. It might put evolutionary pressure to reduce the neck length, which would have far reaching consequences for birds.
lanstin 4y ago
They go into the fruit finding is harder than leaf finding in the article. flying creatures I would guess have a huge pressure to eliminate weight.
- echelon 4y ago
  Even so, several bird species are among the smartest we know. Crows, parrots. I wouldn't call them bird-brained as a pejorative.
  - titzer 4y ago
    Indeed, the Corvid family (crows, ravens) has been show to do some pretty complex problem-solving. I imagine that occupying a high perch out of danger and watching the goings-about by many creatures below, it helps to have a brain that figures out the behaviors of other animals, like squirrels, foxes, etc. That's a really theory-of-mind activity; modeling the thoughts of other animals (and the information available to each) to predict their behavior.
im3w1l 4y ago
Many animals have enough brain power for efficient foraging. The most brainpower-demanding thing humans do, apart from science - but that came later, is interacting with other humans. Coordinating, but also scheming and deceiving.
spfzero 4y ago
Harvesting fruit requires more brainpower than hunting, for instance? Wait for the fruit to appear, in the tree that you remember it always appearing in, then climb up and grab it. That doesn't seem to require much brainpower.

swayvil 4y ago

>Also, why don't fruit eating birds or bats have big brains? Because big brains are aerodynamically impractical?

dotancohen 4y ago
It would probably be more of a weight issue that an aerodynamic issue. And not for the brain itself, but rather for the strong neck necessary to support a large organ so far from the body's center of mass while in flight. It might put evolutionary pressure to reduce the neck length, which would have far reaching consequences for birds.

lanstin 4y ago

They go into the fruit finding is harder than leaf finding in the article. flying creatures I would guess have a huge pressure to eliminate weight.

echelon 4y ago
Even so, several bird species are among the smartest we know. Crows, parrots. I wouldn't call them bird-brained as a pejorative.
- titzer 4y ago
  Indeed, the Corvid family (crows, ravens) has been show to do some pretty complex problem-solving. I imagine that occupying a high perch out of danger and watching the goings-about by many creatures below, it helps to have a brain that figures out the behaviors of other animals, like squirrels, foxes, etc. That's a really theory-of-mind activity; modeling the thoughts of other animals (and the information available to each) to predict their behavior.

im3w1l 4y ago

Many animals have enough brain power for efficient foraging. The most brainpower-demanding thing humans do, apart from science - but that came later, is interacting with other humans. Coordinating, but also scheming and deceiving.

spfzero 4y ago

Harvesting fruit requires more brainpower than hunting, for instance? Wait for the fruit to appear, in the tree that you remember it always appearing in, then climb up and grab it. That doesn't seem to require much brainpower.