Big brains mean big yawns
Yawning has been shown to regulate brain temperature and enhance intracranial circulation, which correlates positively to interspecies variations in brain weight.
This study provides the first investigation into whether differences in brain weight within a single species, domesticated dogs Canis lupus familiaris, can predict intraspecific variation in yawn duration. A sample size of 272 yawns from 198 dogs across 23 breeds were obtained from public online videos and paired with published brain and body weight scales.
Robust positive correlations remain significant in the comparison of yawn duration and brain weight. This study replicates and reinforces past work that supports the importance of yawning in neurophysiologic function.
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