“They are way smarter than you think,” Ms. Hillemacher said. Now, in a study published in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday, Ms. Hillemacher and her colleagues say they have found evidence that roosters can recognize themselves in mirrors. The mirror test is a common, but contested, test of self-awareness. The mirror test has since been used to assess self-recognition in many other species. But different cognitive processes are active in different situations, and there’s no reason to think that the mirror test is accurate for animals with vastly different sensory abilities and social systems than what chimps have.

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Persons: Sonja Hillemacher, Ms, Hillemacher, Gordon Gallup, —, ”, Onur Güntürkün, Inga Tiemann Organizations: University of Bonn, Ruhr University Bochum Locations: Germany