A window into self-awareness: Beluga whales display fascinating behaviour in front of mirror

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:01]Natasha the beluga is putting on a show for her own entertainment, blowing bubbles, doing barrel rolls, and admiring her reflection.

[00:00:10]>> And that's where the light bulb seems to go on when they figure it out. That's me.

[00:00:15]>> Researchers set up a two-way mirror at the New York Aquarium run by the Wildlife Conservation Society to deepen their understanding of beluga whales.

[00:00:25]They observed Natasha and her daughter Maris displaying new behaviors, studying their marshmallow-like faces and inspecting their conical teeth, appearing to show self-awareness.

[00:00:38]Marine mammal scientist and cognitive psychologist Diana Reese has spent her career investigating highly cerebral animals.

[00:00:46]>> We don't know the magic ingredients that goes into this, but the things that seem to correlate are, first of all, having a large brain relative to your body size.

[00:00:56]>> Bottlenose dolphins are part of this exclusive club. Asian elephants can recognize themselves in the mirror.

[00:01:02]Magpies perceive themselves as well, and of course, so do great apes.

[00:01:08]>> Scientists say the ability to recognize oneself is a unique trait in nature, typically found in species that are intelligent, social, and empathetic, like humans.

[00:01:20]>> The findings come as no surprise to one of this country's leading beluga experts, whale biologist Valeria Vergara.

[00:01:28]>> Every time we sort of uncover a new dimension of beluga cognition or social complexity, it raises the stakes for what we stand to lose if we don't protect them.

[00:01:41]>> The hope that a better understanding of animal cognition could push humans to do more reflecting of their own.

[00:01:49]Tariq Asri, Global News, Montreal.