6. Reflecting on Elephants

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The New York Wildlife Conservation Society decided that they wanted to know if elephants could recognize themselves in a mirror. Three Asian elephants were given the opportunity to look at themselves in the mirror. After studying how they behaved in front of the large mirror (they are elephants, after all!), the researchers concluded that the elephants did indeed realize that they were looking at themselves, giving them status as one of a very small number of animals that are capable of self-recognition.