Posts tagged 'Primates'

Can monkeys recognise themselves in mirrors?

The mirror test is meant to help indicate if a species is capable of higher level thinking- above and beyond just instinct.

The group of species that can recognize their own reflections in mirrors is an exclusive one. All great apes can (Humans, Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Gorillas), as well as Elephants, Bottlenose dolphins, Orcas and European Magpies.

The experiment setup is deceptively simple- a mark is placed on the animal and they are given a mirror, the idea being they pass the test if they manage to identify the mark, thus showing they are aware they’re looking at a reflection of themselves.