Asian elephants found to have significantly larger brains than African counterparts

Asian elephants found to have significantly larger brains than African counterparts
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 21, 2025

Asian elephants possess brains approximately 20 percent heavier than those of African elephants, despite being smaller in overall body size, according to a new study by researchers from Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW), along with international partners. The team also confirmed that elephant brains triple in weight after birth, a rare trait shared only with humans among primates.

Elephants are widely recognized for their intelligence and complex social behavior, yet the biology of their brains remains underexplored. In the new analysis, led by Malav Shah and Michael Brecht of the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience and Thomas Hildebrandt of Leibniz-IZW, scientists examined brain weights and structures in both Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants using dissections, MRI data, and prior literature.

The results showed that adult female Asian elephants had brain weights averaging 5,300 grams, notably heavier than the 4,400-gram average for African females. Although data for males was limited, both species' males were found to have heavier brains overall. Interestingly, the cerebellum, which coordinates motor function, was proportionally larger in African elephants-making up 22 percent of total brain weight compared to 19 percent in Asians.

Postnatal brain growth in elephants is exceptionally large, with adult brains reaching three times the size they are at birth. This level of developmental increase is unique outside of humans and suggests that long juvenile periods in elephants may be vital for social learning and memory acquisition.

The study involved 19 brain specimens-14 from zoo elephants and 5 from wild animals, including individuals from Kruger National Park-supplemented by data on six additional brains from earlier research. Extracting and preserving elephant brains is a complex task, which helps explain the limited prior knowledge on the subject.

Lead author Malav Shah emphasized that the brain weight difference might underlie behavioral distinctions between the two species. Asian elephants, often semi-domesticated and used as working animals, display more cooperative behavior with humans than African elephants, which are generally less amenable to human interaction.

Michael Brecht and Thomas Hildebrandt suggest that the extended brain growth in elephants may be driven by social demands and long-term memory development. The larger cerebellum in African elephants may be linked to their enhanced trunk dexterity, enabled by two trunk fingers and a corresponding neural advantage in trunk motor control.

The team aims to deepen their understanding of how brain structure influences behavior and motor skills in both elephant species, highlighting the complexity of these iconic animals and the value of ongoing neurobiological research.

Research Report:Larger brains and relatively smaller cerebella in Asian elephants compared with African savanna elephants