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Dolphin intelligence proven by mirror test
To find out if dolphins are conscious, researchers used the mirror test. They stuck mirror foil in front of the window of a dolphin tank and applied colored dots to the dolphins inside. The animals’ reaction: They posed in front of the mirror, observed themselves and their actions, and tried to get a good look at their colored dots.
In a second experiment, the scientists installed a camera with a monitor just outside the window of the pool. The monitor showed every movement of the animals, like a mirror. Again, the dolphins posed, holding fish in their mouths and waving them around. This is very similar to human behavior. For example, we often wave when we see ourselves on a monitor in shopping malls or similar places.
How do we prove that animals recognize themselves in mirrors?
To find out if the dolphins really recognized themselves in the mirror, or if they only reacted because they saw other dolphins, the animals were shown video sequences of other dolphins. The result: The dolphins who had just reacted vividly to their own reflections, moving their heads and opening their mouths, were bored by the images of their unfamiliar peers.
They watched briefly and then swam away. The dolphins passed the mirror test and showed that they have self-awareness. They know who they are, what their social position is, and they can recognize other bottlenose dolphins. For a long time, animal researchers believed that only primates had the ability to know themselves.
However, the experiment made it clear that groups of mammals whose brain development is very different from that of the great apes also have their own consciousness. In addition to chimpanzees and orangutans, magpies, elephants and pigs passed the mirror test. By the way: Infants do not recognize themselves in the mirror until they are about 18 months old.
