A comprehensive list of animals that have passed the mirror test, plus information about the mirror test and its significance in animal cognition research.
In the article they summarize how the experiments specifically demonstrated that this is a visual response.
Researchers put blue dots on the ants’ heads in a spot where they can see it in a mirror. Apparently the ants tried to remove the dot from themselves, but only if they saw the dot on their head when looking into the mirror.
Otherwise, if they weren’t in front of the mirror or the blue spot was placed on the back of their head where it’s not visible in the mirror, they did not react to it. Similarly, when they used a brown ant-colored dot to mark the ants in a spot where they can see it in a mirror, the ants did not try to remove it from themselves, presumably because they couldn’t see it.
Granted, it’s easy to see why we should be skeptical about these results, but it also would not be the first time that we’ve discovered remarkable things about insects.
Keep in mind though, ants are an incredibly large and diverse group of insects, so this type of research obviously can’t be assumed to apply to all ants and all ant species. Even with the other animals discussed, it’s usually a case where only some individuals can pass the test, and it’s not necessarily a near universal thing for them like it is with humans. And I’m not really in a position to evaluate how reputable the authors, journal, and experiment are.
Maybe they can recognize their own pheremone “reflecting” and its not so much visual.
In the article they summarize how the experiments specifically demonstrated that this is a visual response.
Researchers put blue dots on the ants’ heads in a spot where they can see it in a mirror. Apparently the ants tried to remove the dot from themselves, but only if they saw the dot on their head when looking into the mirror.
Otherwise, if they weren’t in front of the mirror or the blue spot was placed on the back of their head where it’s not visible in the mirror, they did not react to it. Similarly, when they used a brown ant-colored dot to mark the ants in a spot where they can see it in a mirror, the ants did not try to remove it from themselves, presumably because they couldn’t see it.
Granted, it’s easy to see why we should be skeptical about these results, but it also would not be the first time that we’ve discovered remarkable things about insects.
Keep in mind though, ants are an incredibly large and diverse group of insects, so this type of research obviously can’t be assumed to apply to all ants and all ant species. Even with the other animals discussed, it’s usually a case where only some individuals can pass the test, and it’s not necessarily a near universal thing for them like it is with humans. And I’m not really in a position to evaluate how reputable the authors, journal, and experiment are.