why don’t animals understand the concept of mirrors? If they do, how long does it take them?
In: Biology
This is kind of a weird question. Personally, as an animal cognition researcher myself, I think the test is flawed. It requires that the animal show interest in their reflection in order to pass. I find it much more likely that many animals tested completely understand mirrors/reflections and just don’t care.
Look at the difference between puppies and kittens trying to play with the puppy/kitten in the mirror, vs adults who hardly give it a second glance. The only animals who pass the mirror test are those that use the mirror as tools, and not surprisingly, the animals who pass are known tool users.
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