New York aquarium study suggests beluga whales may recognise themselves

Beluga whaleIn the quiet pools of the New York Aquarium, a groundbreaking experiment was unfolding. It was 2001, and a team of scientists was about to test a question that had long fascinated researchers: could beluga whales, the white Arctic cetaceans known for their expressive faces and complex social lives, recognise themselves in a mirror?Over the course of several months, four female beluga whales, three adults named Kathy, Marina and Natasha, and Natasha’s 7-year-old daughter, Maris, were exposed to a large two-way plexiglass mirror and a transparent control surface. The researchers recorded and analysed their behavioural responses across 98 mirror sessions. What they found would add belugas to a rare and exclusive list of animals capable of mirror self-recognition (MSR), a cognitive