For many years, there was no debate about the superiority of humans over the animal kingdom. But things have changed – fortunately, in fact – and we now learn more about the ability of many animals to understand that they are an individual entity in their own right. Let’s focus on self-aware animals.
Intelligence is not the property of humans. The challenge was to prove this in a scientifically sound manner. Since the 1970s, there has been a test based on the confrontation of the animal with its image in a mirror, with a situation and the application of a mark on its body to see if it reacts to it. This allows us to know better if animals are aware of themselves or not.
The chattering magpie has been known and recognized for a long time for its ability to remember locations, tricks, and operations of all kinds from which it can benefit. The chatty magpie (Pica pica) also passed several mirror tests and is undoubtedly capable of recognizing itself, proving that it is self-aware.
