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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
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Another gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) recognizes himself in a mirror.

Sandra Posada1, Montserrat Colell

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. sposadsa7@docd4.ub.edu

American Journal of Primatology
|December 13, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Gorillas may recognize themselves in mirrors. This study found a captive gorilla showed no aversion to eye contact, exploring its reflection and passing the mark test, suggesting self-recognition is possible.

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Area of Science:

  • Primate behavior
  • Animal cognition
  • Comparative psychology

Background:

  • Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) often fail to recognize their mirror images.
  • Aversion to eye contact is a commonly proposed reason for this difficulty.
  • This prevents exploration necessary for self-recognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if gorillas exhibit aversion to eye contact with their mirror image.
  • To assess a captive gorilla's response to a mirror and its own reflection.
  • To determine if the subject passes the mark test, indicating self-recognition.

Main Methods:

  • The study habituated a single, well-adapted captive gorilla to observers and a mirror.
  • The gorilla was then exposed to its reflection without prior stress.
  • The subject's behavior, interest in the mirror, and response to the mark test were observed.

Main Results:

  • The gorilla displayed no aversion to eye contact.
  • The subject showed significant interest in its mirror image and appeared relaxed.
  • The gorilla successfully passed the mark test, a key indicator of self-recognition.

Conclusions:

  • Aversion to eye contact is not a universal barrier to mirror self-recognition in gorillas.
  • Captive gorillas can exhibit interest in their reflections and pass the mark test.
  • This challenges previous assumptions about gorilla mirror behavior and cognition.