Are gorillas self-aware? New research challenges old assumptions

For years, scientists believed gorillas were less self-aware than chimpanzees, the most self-aware of the great apes. However, new research suggests that gorillas may possess similar levels of self-awareness, even though they typically fail the well-known mirror test.

A team of researchers from Utrecht University, the University of Vienna, and the University of Amsterdam studied chimpanzees and gorillas at Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem.

The study indicates that gorillas are able to identify their own bodies as barriers, similar to chimpanzees.

Rethinking the mirror test

One of the most common ways scientists measure self-awareness is through the mirror test. In this test, an animal receives a small mark on its body that it can only see by looking in a mirror. If the animal touches or tries to remove the mark, it suggests they recognize their reflection.

“The mirror test works well, but it’s not suitable for all animals,” said study co-author Jorg Massen. “Some animals don’t rely much on vision and may dislike looking at faces. These species might fail the mirror test even if they are self-aware.”

Gorillas are one such species. They usually score poorly on the mirror test, possibly because they tend to avoid direct eye contact.

Looking in a mirror may feel unnatural or uncomfortable for them. But does this mean they lack self-awareness? Massen and his team decided to find out.

Gorillas seem to be self-aware

To explore body awareness in gorillas, the researchers designed a new test. In the experiment, both gorillas and chimpanzees had to open a box lid to retrieve food.

However, in some cases, the box was placed on a pole, forcing the animal to sit on the lid itself. To get to the food, they had to realize their own body was blocking access.

“This is a basic form of body awareness. In humans, this develops at around 1.5 years old,” explained Massen.

The results were striking. Both gorillas and chimpanzees figured out the task equally well. “What stood out was that both species quickly realized they needed to move off the box to open it,” said Massen.

“This shows they were aware of their own bodies as an obstacle. So the fact that gorillas usually perform poorly in mirror tests doesn’t mean they lack self-awareness.”

Significance of self-aware gorillas

Massen and his team argue that scientists should expand their approach to studying self-awareness in animals.

“Thanks to this body awareness test, we now know more about the inner life of gorillas, which may be richer than we previously thought, or at least had scientific evidence for,” said Massen.

Using different types of tests could also shed light on how self-awareness evolved. Some scientists believe self-awareness emerged early in the common ancestors of humans and great apes.

Others think it may have developed separately in different ape species. Ongoing studies aim to determine whether chimpanzees, orangutans, and other primates share the same kind of self-awareness.

“It’s possible that apes have a similar type of self-awareness, but it could also be quite different. By combining different tests, we can better understand these differences,” noted Massen.

This study also challenges how we define self-awareness. “Animals we often consider ‘less intelligent’ may actually have more complex thoughts than we imagine,” Massen added.

By looking beyond the mirror test, scientists may uncover deeper insights into how animals understand themselves – and, ultimately, how human self-awareness evolved.

Evolution of self-awareness in apes

The results of this research generate new questions regarding the development of self-awareness in great apes.

If gorillas are able to exhibit body awareness comparable to chimpanzees, yet fail mirror tests, then it may be that various species present self-awareness in different ways. This questions the long-standing theory that mirror recognition is the absolute indicator of an animal’s self-awareness.

Some experts propose that self-awareness is a spectrum, not an all-or-nothing personality. While chimpanzees might be expert visual self-recognizers, gorillas may be more dependent on spatial and physical self-awareness, which would just be as crucial for survival in their native habitats.

By expanding the ways that research is conducted, scientists can get a better idea of how various species perceive themselves and their environment.

The full study was published in the journal American Journal of Primatolog.

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