Whatever the mirror test tells us, beluga whales pass it

Imagine a beluga whale named Natasha, stretching, nodding, and pirouetting in front of a mirror — behavior that suggests she recognizes herself. According to Federica Sgorbissa writing in Technology, a new study filmed hours of underwater footage at a New York aquarium, revealing that Natasha and her daughter Maris display behaviors linked to self-awareness. Now, here's where it gets interesting — belugas are only the latest in a tiny club of species that might pass the mirror test, which has historically been used to gauge self-recognition. This list includes humans, chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, magpies, and even cleaner fish. But here's the thing — what does passing this test really mean? As Sgorbissa notes, critics argue that the mirror test might not be the best way to measure intelligence or consciousness across species. Still, if belugas are truly self-aware, it shifts how we understand their minds — and maybe, what we consider truly smart. That subtle shift could redefine how we see animal cognition in the years ahead.