A brand new study suggests beluga whales could also be able to recognizing themselves in mirrors, a trait linked to self-awareness and once considered uniquely human.
Researchers with the Recent York Aquarium of the Wildlife Conservation Society observed two belugas, Natasha and her daughter Maris, on the Recent York Aquarium where a two-way mirror was installed to raised understand the species’ cognitive abilities.
According to the study published May 20, the whales appeared to check their reflections closely, blowing bubbles, performing barrel rolls and examining features akin to their faces and teeth — behaviours scientists say are consistent with self-recognition.
“And that’s where the sunshine bulb seems to go on after they figure it out that’s me,” said Diana Reiss, a marine mammal scientist and cognitive psychologist based in Recent York.
Reiss said scientists don’t fully understand what drives this ability, nevertheless it appears to be linked to traits akin to having a big brain relative to body size.
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox because it happens so you will not miss a trending story.
Self-recognition has been observed in just a select group of animals, including bottlenose dolphins, Asian elephants, magpies and great apes.
Scientists say the flexibility is often present in species which might be extremely smart, social and able to empathy, including humans.
The findings come as no surprise to Valeria Vergara, a British Columbia-based whale biologist with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
“Each time we form of uncover a brand new dimension of beluga cognition or social complexity, it raises the stakes for what we stand to lose if we don’t protect them,” she told Global News.
Canada is home to a number of the largest beluga populations, including within the St. Lawrence River, where they’re endangered.
Vergara said threats akin to ocean noise pollution can interfere with the whales’ communication systems, that are key to their complex social structures.
Researchers say a greater understanding of animal cognition could encourage greater efforts to guard vulnerable species.
