page_title: Dinosaur brains and intelligence
section_title: Theropod brains
hierarchical_section_title: Dinosaur brains and intelligence / Theropod brains
caption_attribution_description: Africa?s answer to T-rex Age: 90 million years old Length: 27 feet Origin: Morocco
context_page_description: Dinosaur brains and intelligence are interesting topics. Dinosaurs were once regarded as stupid animals, but it is now realised that some of the smaller carnivores had above average intelligence for reptiles. This idea led to exaggerated portrayals in films like Jurassic Park.
context_section_description: Most dinosaurs, and most theropods, had brains no better than present-day reptiles, so far as can be estimated. In a 2001 study of a Carcharodontosaurus saharicus endocast, Hans Larsson found that both C. saharicus and Allosaurus had a ratio of cerebrum to brain volume that was very similar to non-avian reptiles. By contrast, the Tyrannosaurus ratio was slightly in the direction of a more bird-like proportion. Since tyrannosaurs are relatively basal coelurosaurs, this is evidence that the advent of the Coelurosauria marks the beginning of a trend in theropod brain enlargement.
caption: Carcharodontosaurus saharicus skull
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