Cranial capacity is a measure of the volume of the interior of the cranium (also called the braincase or brainpan) of those vertebrates who have both a cranium and a brain. The most commonly used unit of measure is the cubic centimetre or cc. The volume of the cranium is used as a rough indicator of the size of the brain, and this in turn is used as a rough indicator of the potential intelligence of the organism. However, larger cranial capacity is not always indicative of a more intelligent organism, since larger capacities are required for controlling a larger body, or in some cases are an adaptive feature for life in a colder environment.
Examples of cranial capacity:
- Orangutans: 275–500 cc
- Chimpanzees: 275–500 cc
- Gorillas: 340–752 cc
- Humans: 1100–1700 cc
- Neanderthals: 1200–1700 cc
Cranial capacity by race(according to Richard Lynn):
- Australian Aborigens: 1225 cc
- Bushmen: 1270 cc
- Caucasians: 1369 cc
- Cro-Magnons: 1600 cc
- Northeast Asians: 1416
- Sub-Saharan Africans: 1282 cc
Examples of early hominids:
| Taxon |
Size (cc) |
# of Specimens |
Age (Megannum) |
| Australopithecus afarensis |
438 |
4 |
3.6–2.9 |
| Australopithecus africanus |
452 |
7 |
3.0–2.4 |
| Australopithecus boisei |
521 |
1 |
2.3–1.4 |
| Australopithecus robustus |
530 |
1 |
1.9–1.4 |
| Homo habilis |
612 |
6 |
1.9–1.6 |
| Homo rudolfensis |
752 |
1 |
2.4–1.6 |
| Homo ergaster |
871 |
3 |
1.9–1.7 |
