2023-10-27 12:35:45
A rooster looking in the mirror – SONJA HILLEMACHER/UNIVERSITY OF BONN
MADRID, 27 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Researchers at the universities of Bonn and Bochum have observed clues that roosters could identify themselves in a mirror in experiments carried out with 58 specimens.
Furthermore, the setup of the experiment influences whether the behavior actually occurs or not, an idea that could well be important for other animal species as well. The study has now been published in the journal PLOS ONE.
“The ability of animals to recognize themselves, and therefore be self-aware, is a central question in behavioral research,” he says. it’s a statement PhD student Sonja Hillemacher, who together with her colleague Dr. Inga Tiemann has spent years at the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Bonn, focused on the scientific study of chicken behavior.
The idea of experimenting in front of a mirror came to the researchers during a conversation with Professor Onur Güntürkün from the Department of Biopsychology at the Ruhr University in Bochum.
A current test for self-awareness in front of a mirror is known as a “mark test.” A colored mark is applied to the top of an animal’s head, for example, a mark that the individual can only recognize in front of a mirror. If the animal begins to examine the marked part of its body in front of the mirror, this serves as an indication that it has recognized itself in the reflected image. However, the test does not always work. Some animals that consider themselves self-aware do not pay attention to mirrors. Perhaps because they are disturbed by the “artificial” environment of the experiment?
“Our goal was to perform the mirror test in an environment that was ecologically best suited to the behavior of the hens,” says Dr. Inga Tiemann in a statement.
Professor Onur Güntürkün came up with the idea of exploiting a natural aspect of poultry behavior in the experiment: “Some chickens, and in particular roosters, warn their companions with special calls if they see a predator, such as a bird of prey or a fox.” However, If the roosters are alone when they notice the predator, they usually remain silent so as not to attract attention. from the predator and potentially becoming prey. “The danger signal is the perfect behavior for an ecologically adapted self-identity test,” says the biopsychologist from Ruhr University Bochum.
Initially, the research team wanted to test whether the roosters would actually raise the alarm if their companions were present… and whether they would remain calm if they were alone. For this purpose, researchers from the University of Bonn built a test field on the Frankenforst campus. A fence separated two sections, although both sides were visible to the roosters. A bird of prey was then projected onto the ceiling of one section.
The researchers tested 58 roosters. To ensure solid statistics for the results, the experiment was repeated three times with each rooster. Total, the roosters issued 77 danger alarms when other chickens were present, but only 17 when they were alone. “Some animals are braver than others,” says Sonja Hillemacher. “The results show, however, that most roosters warn their companions when a predator is on the loose.“.
For the next step, a mirror was placed between the sections instead of a fence. How do roosters react to the combination of their own image in the mirror and a bird of prey? The test was performed again three times with each animal. Of 174 tests, only 25 alarms were issued. “This shows that roosters do not see their own reflection as someone else’s,” says Sonja Hillemacher. The result offers an indication that they might have recognized themselves in their mirror image. However, theoretically there is also the possibility that they only recognized a strange animal that imitated their own behavior and, for this reason, preferred not to warn them. “More experimentation is needed here,” explains Inga Tiemann. For comparison, the team also conducted a traditional scoring test, in which the roosters did not demonstrate any behavior that suggested they recognized themselves in the mirror.
The research team sees clear indications in the results that the traditional mirror mark test produces more reliable results when the behavior of the specific animal species is more taken into account. “In the traditional situation, our rooster would probably not have shown any self-awareness,” says Onur Güntürkün. “But when a predator threatens them, it becomes clear that his reflection in the mirror is not another rooster, but himself.“. The approach could also be important for other animal species.
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