Chimps are the only animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror.
The mirror test is a measure of self-awareness, as animals either possess or lack the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror. The test was developed by Gordon Gallup Jr. in 1970, First each chimpanzee was put into a room by itself for two days. Next a full length mirror was placed in the room for a total of 80 hours in variant distances from the cage – starting farther away and moving closer. A multitude of behaviors was recorded upon introducing the mirrors to these wild chimpanzees. At first the chimpanzees made threatening gestures at their own images, they saw their own reflection as a threat. However after some time the chimpanzees used their own projected images for self directed responding – such as grooming parts of the body before unseen without a mirror, picking their noses, making faces, and blowing bubbles at their own reflections.
