Now Reading: Beluga whales pass mirror self-recognition test for first time
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Beluga whales pass mirror self-recognition test for first time
A study at the New York Aquarium has found that beluga whales can recognise themselves in a mirror, adding the species to a rare list of self-aware animals. The research, led by…
The Story in Brief
A study at the New York Aquarium has found that beluga whales can recognise themselves in a mirror, adding the species to a rare list of self-aware animals. The research, led by cognitive psychologist Diana Reiss and published in PLOS ONE in May 2026, tested four female belugas across 98 sessions in 2001. Two whales, Natasha and her daughter Maris, showed self-directed behaviours like bubble-blowing and barrel-rolling before the mirror. Natasha also passed a mark test, inspecting a temporary mark on her body using the reflection, according to the Times of India.
Only a handful of species, including humans, great apes, bottlenose dolphins, Asian elephants and magpies, have passed the mirror test. Belugas are the first non-delphinid cetacean to show such evidence. Critics argue the test is biased towards visually dependent species, the report notes.
The Indian Opinion
The beluga finding is a fresh nudge to drop the smugness about human uniqueness. Yet the mirror test itself is a narrow yardstick, biased toward the visual and possibly unfair to animals that read the world by sound or smell. Watch for follow-up studies that test belugas with marks on non-visible body parts, or that compare their performance with dolphins. The real question is not whether belugas see themselves, but whether our tests are blind to how other minds work. Until then, this is one more reason to treat marine mammals with more care.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
