Do dolphins pass the mirror test?

Although some researchers claim that only humans and great apes conclusively pass the mirror mark test, the following species are generally regarded as capable of passing the mirror test – humans, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, bonobos, orangutans, chimpanzees, Asian elephants, magpies, pigeons, ants and the …

Do dolphins recognize themselves in a mirror?

Further evidence comes from Diana Reiss, a psychobiologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Osborn Laboratories for Marine Science at the New York Aquarium, who discovered that bottlenose dolphins can recognize themselves in mirrors.

Does the mirror test work?

However, only an actual mirror test can determine if they actually recognize their own reflections, or if they are just demonstrating exploratory behavior. A classic mirror test has yet to be done on manta rays. Another fish that may pass the mirror test is an archerfish, Toxotes chatareus.

Why did a dolphin pass the mirror test?

But the fact that they have passed the mirror test means that self-recognition may result from large brains and advanced cognitive ability, as opposed to being a by-product of primate-specific factors.

Are there dolphins that can mirror their own?

Findings announced today in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, however, indicate that we and our primate relatives are not alone. According to the report, dolphins, too, exhibit mirror self-recognition.

What kind of marker does a bottlenose dolphin use?

A nontoxic temporary black ink Entré marker (Entré, Westborough, MA) was used to mark the dolphin on different parts of its body that were not visible to it without the use of a mirror (Fig. 2 A ). Marks were either cross-hatched and triangular or circular, and were ≈6.4 cm in diameter (Fig. 2 B ).

How did scientists test Dolphins for self awareness?

To test for dolphin self-awareness, Diana Reiss of Columbia University and Lori Marino of Emory University exposed two bottlenose dolphins to reflective surfaces after marking the dolphins with black ink, applying a water-filled marker (sham-marking) or not marking them at all.