Very few animals can recognise their own image in a mirror – a crucial test of how self-aware they are. It used to be thought that this ability was only possessed by humans and the great apes. More recently dolphins have been found to recognise themselves. Now we find that elephants can do it too.
In the video attached to this New Scientist article, an elephant tries to touch a mark painted on its head (where it can only be seen in the mirror). Previous experiments to measure the self-awareness of elephants have failed because the mirrors weren’t big enough.
Elephants Join The Self-Awareness Club