Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Family Dasyuridae

The brain of the Tasmanian devil is about 16 ml in volume.  The olfactory bulbs, olfactory tubercles and piriform (olfactory) cortex are relatively large, indicating the importance of olfaction in this species.  The isocortical (6 layered) parts of the cerebral hemispheres are relatively small, exposing the superior and inferior colliculi, and separated by a distinct gap from the cerebellar hemispheres.  Studies of the cerebral cortex in this species are few (Abbie, 1940; Berns and Ashwell, 2017) so the functional areas of the cerebral cortex have been deduced from cortical electrophysiology studies in other dasyurids (Dasyurus hallucatus).

Abbie AA (1940) The excitable cortex in Perameles, Sarcophilus, Dasyurus, Trichosurus, and Wallabia (Macropus). Journal of Comparative Neurology, 72, 469-487.

Berns GS, Ashwell KW (2017) Reconstruction of the cortical maps of the Tasmanian tiger and comparison to the Tasmanian devil. PLoS ONE 12(1), e0168993.