List of animals by number of neurons

Brief comparisons of number of whole brain neurons (top) and cerebral cortex neurons (bottom) among five mammals.

This is a list of representative animals by the number of neurons in their whole nervous system and the number of neurons in their brain (for those with a brain). These numbers are estimates derived by multiplying the density of neurons in a particular animal by the average volume of the animal's brain.

The whole human brain contains 86 billion neurons and either 19 or 23 (respectively female and male) billion neurons in the cerebral cortex.

Overview

Neurons are the cells that transmit information in an animal's nervous system so that it can sense stimuli from its environment and behave accordingly. Not all animals have neurons; Trichoplax and sponges lack nerve cells altogether.

Neurons may be packed to form structures such as the brain of vertebrates or the neural ganglions of insects.

The number of neurons and their relative abundance in different parts of the brain is a determinant of neural function and, consequently, of behavior.

Whole nervous system

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

All numbers for neurons but Caenorhabditis and all numbers for synapses are estimations.

Name Neurons in the brain/whole nervous system Synapses Details Image Source
Sponge 0
[1]
Trichoplax 0
[2]
Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm) 302 ~7,500
[3]
Jellyfish 5,600 Hydra vulgaris (H. attenuate)
[4]
Box jellyfish 8,700-17,500 adult Tripedalia cystophora (8 mm diameter) - does not include 1000 neurons in each of the four rhopalia
[5]
Medicinal leech 10,000
[6]
Pond snail 11,000
[7]
Sea slug 18,000
[8]
Amphioxus 20,000 central nervous system only [9]

[10]

Fruit fly 250,000 <1×10^7
[11]

[12]

Larval zebrafish 100,000
[13]
Lobster 100,000
[14]
Ant 250,000 Varies per species
[15]

[16]

Honey bee 960,000 ~1×10^9
[17]
Cockroach 1,000,000
[18]
Adult zebrafish ~10,000,000 cells (neurons + other)
[19]
Frog 16,000,000
[20]
Smoky shrew 36,000,000
[21]
Short-tailed shrew 52,000,000
[21]
House mouse 71,000,000 ~1×10^12
[22]
Golden hamster 90,000,000
[22]
Star-nosed mole 131,000,000
[21]
Zebra finch 131,000,000 Brain only [23]
Brown rat 200,000,000 ~4.48×10^11 [24]
Eastern mole 204,000,000
[21]
Guinea pig 240,000,000 [22]
Common treeshrew 261,000,000
[25]
Pigeon 310,000,000 Brain only
[23]
Octopus 500,000,000
[26]
Common marmoset 636,000,000
[25]
Cat 760,000,000 ~1×10^13
[27]
Black-rumped agouti 857,000,000 [22]
Northern greater galago 936,000,000
[25]
Three-striped night monkey1,468,000,000
[25]
Capybara 1,600,000,000 [22]
Raven 2,171,000,000 Brain only [23]
Common squirrel monkey3,246,000,000
[25]
Tufted capuchin3,691,000,000
[25]
Rhesus macaque 6,376,000,000
[25]
Human 86,000,000,000 ~1.5×10^14 Synapses for average adult
[28][29][30]
African elephant 257,000,000,000
[31][32]

Cerebral cortex

Only mammals appear in this list, because only mammals have a cerebral cortex (although the pallium of reptiles and birds is also frequently referred to as "cortex".)

Name Neurons in the cerebral cortex Details Image Source
Mouse 4,000,000 Genus Mus, musculus
[7]
Rat 18,000,000 Genus Rattus, unknown species
[33]

[34]

Hedgehog 24,000,000 Subfamily Erinaceinae, unknown genus and species
[33]
Opossum 27,000,000 Family Didelphidae, unknown genus and species
[33]
Dog 160,000,000 Canis lupus familiaris
[7]
Cat 300,000,000 Felis catus or Felis silvestris catus
[7]
Tarsius 310,000,000 Genus Tarsius, unknown species
[35]
Squirrel monkey 430,000,000 Genus Saimiri, unknown species
[36]
Domesticated pig 425,000,000 Sus scrofa
[37]
Raccoon 453,000,000
[38]
Rhesus macaque 480,000,000 Macaca mulatta
[33]
Gracile capuchin monkey 650,000,000 Genus Cebus, unknown species
[36]
Horse 1,200,000,000 Equus ferus caballus
[21]
Guenon 2,500,000,000 Genus Cercopithecus, unknown species
[35]
Gorilla 4,300,000,000 Genus Gorilla, unknown species
[36]
Chimpanzee 6,200,000,000 Genus Pan, unknown species
[7]
False killer whale 10,500,000,000 Pseudorca crassidens
[21]
African elephant 11,000,000,000 Genus Loxodonta, unknown species
[21]
Fin whale 15,000,000,000 Balaenoptera physalus
[39]
Human 21,000,000,000 For average adult
"The average number of neocortical neurons was 19 billion in female brains and 23 billion in male brains."
[30]
[40]
Long-finned pilot whale 37,200,000,000 Globicephala melas: "For the first time, we show that a species of dolphin has more neocortical neurons than any mammal studied to date including humans."
[41]

See also

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