The evolution of whole-body endothermy occurred independently in dinosaurs and mammals and was associated with some of the most significant neurocognitive shifts in life's history. These included a 20-fold increase in neurons and the evolution of new brain structures, supporting similar functions in both lineages. We propose the endothermic brain hypothesis, which holds that elaborations in endotherm brains were geared towards increasing caloric intake through efficient foraging. The hypothesis is grounded in the intrinsic coupling of cognition and organismic self-maintenance. We argue that coevolution of increased metabolism and new forms of cognition should be jointly investigated in comparative studies of behaviors and brain anatomy, along with studies of fossil species. We suggest avenues for such research and highlight critical open questions.

Department of Biomedical Sciences Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies Ohio University Athens OH 45701 USA

Department of Philosophy Division of Cognitive Science The Cognitive Zoology Group Lund University Box 192 221 00 Lund Sweden

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh Grant Institute James Hutton Road Edinburgh EH9 3FE UK

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