ABSTRACT
Studies of the cetacean brain are expected to shed considerable light on mammalian brain evolution and, in particular, on how the brain has adapted to markedly differing environments, such as between land and water. To date, although there have been numerous studies on different aspects of cetacean brain anatomy, what has been lacking is integration of this information with that available from studies of evolutionary neuroanatomy. Relative to this, the cetacean brain has historically often been given special status based on its size and fissural complexity rather than on the microscopic appearance of the cortical formations comprising its main divisions.
