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Study

Self-recognition in an Asian elephant

Plotnik, Joshua M.; de Waal, Frans B. M.; Reiss, Diana

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006

Peer-reviewedcontrolled laboratory experimentcaptive

What they did

Three Asian elephants were given a large mirror and observed for how they used it. They were then marked on the head with visible paint and, as a control, with an identical but invisible mark, and their behaviour towards the marks was recorded.

Studied in
Elephas maximus
Sample size
3 Asian elephants at Bronx ZooOne of the three passed the mark test.

What they found

All three used the mirror to inspect themselves in ways not explained by social behaviour. One elephant, Happy, repeatedly touched the visible mark with her trunk while looking in the mirror, and did not touch the invisible one.

What it means

The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.

How the authors put it

Asian elephants can pass the mirror mark test, placing them alongside great apes, dolphins and magpies.

How NatureHQ reads it

This is usually reported as "elephants recognise themselves in mirrors". One elephant out of three passed. That is not a failure of the study — the mark test has a low pass rate even in chimpanzees, and a single unambiguous pass is meaningful — but a reader deserves the number. The honest statement is that at least one Asian elephant demonstrated mirror self-recognition, and that the test itself is a blunt instrument for an animal whose primary senses are smell and touch.

Limitations

  • Three animals; one passed.
  • The mark test is visually biased and may underestimate species that rely on other senses.
  • Captive animals with extensive human contact.

What this study is used for on NatureHQ

One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.

Finding the paper

Published by: Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPublished in PNAS.

doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0608062103

This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-08-11.

NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-09.