A shrimp scrap drifted down the face of a mirror, and a small reef fish tracked it like it was watching a slow-motion ...

Cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus) thrive in coral reefs around the world. But they’re more than just another pretty face ...

In theory, a reaction to an out-of-place mark in a reflection is assumed to be evidence of self-recognition for other animals as well. Chimpanzees, elephants, and dolphins are just some that have ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. For decades, self-awareness has been guarded as a very ...

Before squaring up for a fight, some fish check themselves out in the mirror to make sure they're big enough. This strange behavior was seen in bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), who ...

Gorillas may have greater self-awareness than scientists previously thought. A new study finds that gorillas perform just as well as chimpanzees in tests that require awareness of their own bodies. A ...

Cleaner wrasse have revealed a remarkable new side of fish intelligence. Marked with fake parasites, they used mirrors to inspect and remove the spots—far faster than seen in earlier tests. Even more ...

A small coral reef fish can recognize itself in a mirror. This discovery challenges long-held ideas about animal intelligence.

A recent study reveals how tiny reef fish demonstrate advanced awareness by using mirrors to inspect marks placed on their bodies.

One winter several years ago, I conducted one of my weekend retreats at a conference center in western Massachusetts. When I arrived, I heard about another retreat being offered there the same weekend ...

A preprint paper submitted to arXiv on Jan. 22, 2026, ranks common chickens higher than leading AI systems on a new consciousness scoring framework, placing the humble barnyard bird above models like ...