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80 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, July 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 28, 2004 Since You Asked Intelligence of animals depends on definition What is the least intelligent creature in the world? — Jesse C., Eagle Point Good question, Jesse. You had the zoology staff here at Since You Asked scrambling. Scientists say intelligence is difficult to define. Devising standards enabling you to make comparisons between species is extra tough. What seems obvious to any crow may perplex the smartest dog, and so on. Advertisement One way of measuring animal intelligence is the Encephalization Quotient, or EQ, developed by psychologist Harry J. Jerison in the 1970s. It’s based on the ratio of the brain weight of an animal to the brain weight of a "typical" animal of the same body weight. For example, birds and mammals have brains about 10 times bigger than those of bony fish, reptiles and amphibians of the same body size. Modern man has a bigger brain than his hominid ancestors. Scientists studying dinosaurs have found an amazing range of EQs. The stupidest dinosaurs seem to have been the grazing sauropods, with EQs of about .05. The dinosaur Einsteins were the troodontids and dromaeosaurids like velociraptor, a relative of modern birds, with EQs as high as 5, or about 100 times the dumbest dinos. Among contemporary species, we know some pretty dull sponges, although they are geniuses compared to the slime molds. Then there is homo sapiens. If intelligence means perceiving cause and effect and acting accordingly, this species, which is presently causing the sixth great extinction of the last billion years, may be in a class by itself. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times