Elephants have joined a small, elite group of species, including humans, great apes, and dolphins, that have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror, according to a new study by researchers at Emory University, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York. This newly found presence of mirror self-recognition in elephants, previously predicted due to their well-known social complexity, is thought to relate to empathetic tendencies and the ability to distinguish oneself from others, a characteristic that evolved independently in several branches of animals, including primates such as humans.

“We see highly complex behaviors, such as self-awareness and self-other distinction in intelligent animals with well established social systems,” explains Yerkes researcher Joshua Plotnik. “The social complexity of the elephant, its well-known altruistic behavior and, of course, its huge brain, made the elephant a logical candidate species for testing in front of a mirror.”

In the study, researchers exposed three female elephants housed at the Bronx Zoo in New York to a jumbo-sized mirror measuring eight feet high by eight feet wide inside the elephants’ yard. During the exposure, the elephants tested their mirrored images by making repetitive body movements and using the mirror to inspect themselves, such as by moving their trunks to inspect the insides of their mouths, a part of the body they usually cannot see. Further, the animals did not react socially to their images, as many animals do, and did not seem to mistake their reflection for that of another elephant.

“Elephants have been tested in front of mirrors before, but previous studies used relatively small mirrors kept out of the elephants’ reach,” said Plotnik. “This study is the first to test the animals in front of a huge mirror they could touch, rub against, and try to look behind.”