First of all, who doesnt like a flirty capuchin? This is an interesting piece, thanks for posting it. One of the things I found fascinating about watching my daughter's development was her path towards understanding a sense of self. It went from no sense of it, to declaring everything "mine" and "smiling" in the mirror in what seemed like over night.
Is there any evidence of apes dolling themselves up and using a mirror to see the result? I wonder if they've ever been fond of a particularly still pool of water in the wild, simply for its reflective quality?
Interesting stuff.
- Is there any evidence of apes dolling themselves up and using a mirror to see the result?
To my knowledge, no. Not sure if EvoAnth has ever found anything.
- I wonder if they've ever been fond of a particularly still pool of water in the wild, simply for its reflective quality?
Well, based on the picture in the article I think that answer to this must be yes. Chimpanzees understand that they can see themselves in the water and know that that is them. But I have never read a study specifically discussing this.
I've got nothing. Although I think it would be great to leave a chimp alone in a room with a mirror and some facepaint, just to see what happened. Don't know what science you'd get from that, but if you're getting dolled up chimps do you really need an excuse?
I actually "listened" to the article by using a "reader" function while driving and therefore missed the photograph. I apologize for the redundant question. Great image.
Chimpanzees can use the water like a mirror... like a mirror staring back at them.