Scientists have discovered that the brain hidden inside the oldest known Old World Monkey was tiny but remarkably wrinkled. This led them to conclude that these primates were more sensitive in their sense of smell-one thing that may be very useful considering the kind of environment 15 million years back.
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Researchers have developed a three-dimensional computer model exhibiting how the monkey’s brain actually looked like.
However, the researchers found that despite its puny proportions, the animal’s brain was surprisingly complex.
Victoriapithecus, the oldest known Old World monkey skull, was unearthed in 1997 on an island in Kenya’s Lake Victoria. It is as if comparing a plum to an orange.
Researchers were also able to find astonishing levels of complexity, due to the brains numerous wrinkles and folds.
Still, despite this small size, the creatures likely had some significant advantages in the fight for survival. Interestingly, the part of the brain that perceives and interprets smells-the olfactory bulb-was three times larger than the researchers expected. Compared to this ancient primate, the monkeys of today have bigger brains with smaller olfactory bulbs- a complete opposite. However, such was not the case with Victoriapithecus, as its both senses were well retained.
Nevertheless, the surprising complexity of Victoriapithecus’ puny brain lends support to the notion that brain complexity in primates evolved before brain size expansion, a statement by Duke University said.
As it turns out, the ancient monkey may have had a better sense of smell than monkeys alive today.
Investigators believe their study could help answer unresolved questions concerning the evolution of brains in primates, including our own species.
In the part of the primate family tree that includes apes and humans, the thinking is that brains got bigger and then they get more folded and complex.
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Gonzales asserted that this study offers the strongest evidence that in monkeys, the order of events was reversed such that complexity came first and bigger brains came later.
