Self-recognition in an Asian elephant. Plotnik, J. M, de Waal, F. B M, & Reiss, D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2006. doi abstract bibtex Considered an indicator of self-awareness, mirror self-recognition (MSR) has long seemed limited to humans and apes. In both phylogeny and human ontogeny, MSR is thought to correlate with higher forms of empathy and altruistic behavior. Apart from humans and apes, dolphins and elephants are also known for such capacities. After the recent discovery of MSR in dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), elephants thus were the next logical candidate species. We exposed three Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) to a large mirror to investigate their responses. Animals that possess MSR typically progress through four stages of behavior when facing a mirror: (i) social responses, (ii) physical inspection (e.g., looking behind the mirror), (iii) repetitive mirror-testing behavior, and (iv) realization of seeing themselves. Visible marks and invisible sham-marks were applied to the elephants' heads to test whether they would pass the litmus "mark test" for MSR in which an individual spontaneously uses a mirror to touch an otherwise imperceptible mark on its own body. Here, we report a successful MSR elephant study and report striking parallels in the progression of responses to mirrors among apes, dolphins, and elephants. These parallels suggest convergent cognitive evolution most likely related to complex sociality and cooperation.
@Article{Plotnik2006,
author = {Joshua M Plotnik and Frans B M de Waal and Diana Reiss},
journal = {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A},
title = {Self-recognition in an {A}sian elephant.},
year = {2006},
abstract = {Considered an indicator of self-awareness, mirror self-recognition
(MSR) has long seemed limited to humans and apes. In both phylogeny
and human ontogeny, MSR is thought to correlate with higher forms
of empathy and altruistic behavior. Apart from humans and apes, dolphins
and elephants are also known for such capacities. After the recent
discovery of MSR in dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), elephants thus
were the next logical candidate species. We exposed three Asian elephants
(Elephas maximus) to a large mirror to investigate their responses.
Animals that possess MSR typically progress through four stages of
behavior when facing a mirror: (i) social responses, (ii) physical
inspection (e.g., looking behind the mirror), (iii) repetitive mirror-testing
behavior, and (iv) realization of seeing themselves. Visible marks
and invisible sham-marks were applied to the elephants' heads to
test whether they would pass the litmus "mark test" for MSR in which
an individual spontaneously uses a mirror to touch an otherwise imperceptible
mark on its own body. Here, we report a successful MSR elephant study
and report striking parallels in the progression of responses to
mirrors among apes, dolphins, and elephants. These parallels suggest
convergent cognitive evolution most likely related to complex sociality
and cooperation.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.0608062103},
keywords = {17075063},
}
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