Pigs. Pigs can use visual information seen in a mirror to find food, and show evidence of self-recognition when presented with their reflections. In a 2009 experiment, seven of the eight pigs tested were able to find a bowl of food hidden behind a wall and revealed using a mirror.
According to the prevailing science, individuals of most species can't recognize their reflections as themselves. The only known exceptions are humans, some great apes, and possibly dolphins, elephants, and magpies—all animals with high intelligence.
In Gallup's view, only three species have consistently and convincingly demonstrated mirror self-recognition: chimpanzees, orangutans, and humans.
From a phylogenetic perspective, chimpanzees and other great apes have been shown to exhibit self-recognition in mirror studies [11–17], and this phenomenon has been reported in dolphins and elephants [18,19].
Recent scientific studies of pigs not only lend support to our popular depictions and assumptions about pigs, but also demonstrate that pigs possess cognitive capabilities similar to dogs and young children, show self-awareness, form likes and dislikes, enjoy creative play, and experience emotions not unlike our own.
Pigs are gentle creatures with surprising intelligence. Studies have found they're smarter than dogs and even 3-year-old children! In the wild, pigs form small groups that typically include a few sows and their piglets.
Smell is the sense pigs use for protection in the wild. A pot-bellied pig can sense fear and may respond to a person's fearful body signals. As has been mentioned, pot-bellied pigs are extremely sensitive to scent and can respond aggressively to scents.
Gorillas, along with orangutans, are considered the most intelligent of the Great Apes. However, it turns out gorillas are the only ones who can't always recognize themselves in a mirror. Only one, a female named Koko, has demonstrated the cognitive self-awareness shared among her other ape brethren.
Cows are curious and intelligent creatures who experience complex emotions, play with each other, have best friends, and even exhibit acute levels of self-awareness.
One study found that three species, Myrmica rubra, Myrmica ruginodis, and Myrmica sabuleti have shown potential for self-recognition (Cammaerts and Cammaerts, 2015). When exposed to a mirror, ants of all three species marked with a blue dot would attempt to clean themselves by touching the mark.
There is only a handful of animals that are aware of their reflections. These include elephants, orcas and bonobos. We're going to tell you how scientists found out that these animals have this skill, and which animals pass the mirror test.
Upon first encountering a mirror, dogs—like other animals—may react as if the image is another member of their species, in this case, another dog. Young dogs often treat the image in the mirror not as themselves, but as if another dog play bowed, pawed, barked, or started to zoom around the room.
New research confirms earlier findings suggesting that horses have cognitive self-awareness, which enables them to recognize their own reflections.
A new study has found that some fish can recognize their own faces in photos and mirrors—a sign of self-awareness. The finding suggests self-awareness may be more widespread among animals than previously thought.
Scientists now have preliminary evidence that elephants are indeed self-aware, overturning previous findings. To determine whether an animal has a sense of self, researchers first place a mark on an animal's body that it can identify only with the help of a mirror.
Over the past 30 years, many studies have found evidence that animals recognise themselves in mirrors. Self-awareness by this criterion has been reported for: Land mammals: apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and gorillas) and elephants. Cetaceans: bottlenose dolphins, killer whales and possibly false killer whales.
Pigs can feel pain and fear and isolation causes them stress. They can learn from each other, show empathy, use mirrors to locate food and enjoy being given brain-teasers. This briefing outlines recent investigations into pig sentiency from the scientific literature.
Chickens show self-awareness
Scientists point to two abilities that best indicate chickens' self-awareness: self-control and self-assessment. Chickens have demonstrated that they're able to resist temptation in order to receive a better reward later.
The authors note: 'Calves, as well as adult cows, show learned fear responses to humans who have previously handled them in a rough manner. ' They really do.
Male cichlids are mainly freshwater fish. And they may chase after other fish who dare cross their path. A male cichlid will even lunge if that “other fish” happens to be himself. That is, some types of these cichlids will try to attack their own reflections in a mirror.
While a few animal species consistently pass the mirror test, including elephants and chimpanzees, dogs consistently fail. “Based on our knowledge the dog is the first species that did not pass the mirror mark test but successfully passed the 'body as an obstacle' paradigm,” said Lenkei.
In addition to chimpanzees, a menagerie of distantly related species, from elephants to magpies, have passed the mark test (6). Other primates, including gorillas and (previously) macaques, typically fail to show signs of self-recognition in a mirror (7).
"Pigs are at least as cognitively aware as a monkey," said Marino, commenting on a video of a slaughterhouse in Australia. The high-pitched squeals, she said, are "distress calls." Pigs have individual personalities, Marino said. They're also one of the few species that can recognize themselves in a mirror.
Garlic and Onions
Like cayenne peppers, pigs know to steer clear. Onions and garlic cause an upset stomach, so they avoid both. You could plant these in your garden along with peppers and repel pigs while you get to enjoy your harvest.
There are a few pig repellents that can be used to keep them out of the yard when local problems are small and not too extreme. The options include bad tasting liquid sprays, water sprayers and sound repellers. The water and sound are designed to “spook” them away by making them feel stressed and uncomfortable.