Brains and warm blood.

 

Ever notice how the deep sea is really cold?

Ever notice how warm blood is not evolved in such a hostile energy sucking medium.

Most cold blooded things seem to be of lower intelligence.

Do you suppose warm blood is a prerequisite to high intelligence?

If so, why?...if not, why not?

If warm blood is a prerequisite for intelligence then it would suggest we cannot create an intelligent computer that is cold blooded. So warm blooded computers would be the future then?

Surely a brain that is kept warm by its own central heating system can remain operating over a larger outside temperature range, whereas the brain activity of cold blooded creatures is more subject to control by their environment? Not perhaps a prerequisite for intelligence, just more environmentally versatile.

Among other things, warm-blood keeps the body in equilibrium. This keeps bodily functions as well as brain functions in check. Hence, as gcol stated, we can perform in a wider range of temperatures, and this, while not exactly a sign of intelligence, it is a sign of higher evolution, so there is some similarity.

higher evolution

 

There is no such thing as higher evolution or more highly evolved organisms. Keeping the body at a higher temperature does allow species to be active at lower environmental temperatures but this comes at a cost in terms of energy useage.

 

Intelligence in general (in an abstract sense) is clearly not related to body temperature (my original reply was trying to make this point humerously) but intelligence in animals may be. Big brains use a lot of energy. If our body temperature drops, so does our metabolic rate, a big brain may not receive enough energy to be useful. Animals that live with a constant low metabolic rate probably couldn't support a large brain. For animals whose body temperature varies depending on external heat sources the situation is hard to predict - it would be some trade off between energy cost and benefits from bigger brain that is sometimes active and that could be damaged during low periods of low energy. However, for species that maintain the body temperature at a high level - and have found a good niche that allows them to maintain the high energy demand then the energy consumption issue is probably less important.

Look at the octopus and their kin. They are quite intelligent, with complex behaviors and cognitive skills, despite being cold-blood critters.

I think... the Jury is still out on the intelligence of the Octopus.

 

But they are pretty amazing creatures.

cold-blooded just means that they cannot control their body temperatures on their own, it does not mean that their blood is actually like ice, it is in fact warm.

crocodiles and alligators are bloody smart creatures.

I think... the Jury is still out on the intelligence of the Octopus.

 

But they are pretty amazing creatures.

Any animal that can display behavior as complex as twisting open the lid of a jar' date=' showing clear curiosity in unusual sights, plus have the brain power to control it's skin color and texture with that level of dexterity is pretty darn clever ([i']granted the color-change is likely innately instinctual[/i]). The mimic octopus can imitate the shapes and movements of a range of other creatures to discourage predators, they can traverse mazes with ease, in addition to other complex behaviors. They've got highly developed brains and nervous systems, and I don't believe there's any real doubt about their smarts. Hell, teach it math and it's us with extra limbs and a handy ink-sac.