Elephants in the Mirror

Very few animals can recognize themselves in a mirror. Elephants appear to be one of them.

In a 2006 study at the Bronx Zoo in New York, researchers placed a large mirror in an elephant enclosure.

One Asian elephant named Happy repeatedly touched a mark on her own head that she could only see in the mirror.

Scientists see this kind of behavior as a sign of self-awareness, something also seen in great apes and dolphins.

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