Can you imagine growing up not knowing what you look like? Imagine all the ways that this could affect your life. Well that’s how it is for monkey’s, monkey’s will usually look at themselves in a mirror or see their reflection in a water bowl or something and think that it was a different/ apposing monkey! But now scientists are having chimpanzees and people pass a “mark” test where they will recognize their reflection and it has been found that they will make funny faces, and see a temporary mark that has been placed on their faces by scientists which will cause them to think, “How did I get so old and grey?”
The way that the “Mark” test works is that a mark will be placed on the animal’s face that you can only see in the mirror. Once the animal will touch the mark on its face its said to become self aware meaning that it no longer believes that it’s another apposing animal in its reflection.
From the “mark” test scientists (after 40 years of this experiment) have finally came to the conclusion that few but some species are self aware and will recognize the boundaries between themselves and the physical world surrounding them. The chimpanzee always passes the test because (scientists assume) that sense they are humans closest relatives they are more likely to pass the test than other/most primate species which will fail. However there are some exceptions such as the Rhesus Macaque Monkey that normally fails the “mark” test will still recognize them-selves in the mirror and will perform actions that scientists will expect of animals that are self aware.
To conclude the previous data on self-awareness this new discovery has undermined the idea that only humans can realize that it’s them in the mirror which is now what other primates such as chimpanzees are now learning to do. Scientists also think that in different situations this might also show up by using different tests.
That is awesome! I loved the way you wrote your first paragraph. Good job!
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