I’ve always wondered how many animals can pass the self-recognition test, but either A) they don’t do it immediately so they don’t get counted as passing, or B) they just don’t give a fuck.
Edit: or C) they get excited by their own reflection despite knowing it’s themselves. Or D) they think you’re doing some kinda crazy magic by showing them an image of themselves which is why they act like the mirror is showing a different animal (fear and/or aggression).
I read recently that chickens pass the mirror test but don’t really give a damn about their own reflection so the researchers had to use an alternative method to prove it. They found that lone cockerals don’t crow because there are no other chickens to alert, they will crow in the presence of even one other chicken but will not crow when left with just their own reflection, implying they know its not another chicken.
I’m pretty sure most adult dogs and cats understand mirrors, they just get creeped out by their own reflection. Take an adult cat, hold it up to a mirror. Watch as it actively avoids looking at itself. My dog stares at me for long periods through a full-length bedroom mirror and even barks and runs to the window when she sees dogs outside through it. Doesn’t really care much about her own reflection.
My cat kept meowing at cabinets and mirrors randomly when I was standing near them. After a few days I noticed he was meowing at me, he just was looking straight at me in the reflection, instead of turning around.
I think that was what felisneurologists call “not his moment with the brain cell”.
Right, but how many of those reactions were because the animal thought they were looking at another animal, as opposed to reactions because they’re seeing themselves in an unexpected place?
I mean, I bet many animals can see their own reflection when they go to get water; if you only ever saw your reflection in puddles or lakes, it’d be potentially terrifying to suddenly see yourself materialize in the middle of the jungle.
Edit: imagine going about your day and suddenly your reflection just appears. You’ve never seen your reflection somewhere other than the surface of the water; and that was distorted and ripply. Now your reflection is in the jungle, clear and lifelike, without a drop of water in sight. This is potentially a huge change in your little world. Your mind breaks and reality crumbles. Your awareness comes and goes, hypnotized by your reflection as you hiss in fear. You are not sure how long it has been. Seconds become hours, you live, staring into the abyssal depths of your own pupils. What eldritch horrors lay behind those eyes? What monster could distort reality in this manner? So much time has passed over such a small timespan. You’ve lived out thirty lives now. Thirty cycles of life, death and rebirth. Suddenly, time snaps back and in a moment of lucidity, you smack the mirror and your reflection distorts, freeing you from your reflection’s spell so you can run away and live another day.
You know, something like that.
Lol at the pigeon comment. Animal who inhales the smoke of cigarettes insulting an animal who merely uses non burning substance as a bedding.
They sure “owned” that pigeon
And even then using some cigarettes in nests makes some sort of sense. Nicotine is a natural pesticide, thus fending of mites and other creepy crawlies.
Edit: I should read the information from the link before commenting. Nevermind!
That’s probably more due to their chemical identifiers than sight. Ants communicate with each other through pheromones, and a reflection wouldn’t do that. It would be like someone serving you a steak that smelled like nothing. You’d know something was wrong.
