perhaps one of the most important aspects of animal cognition is self-awareness An animal that is aware of itself has a high level of cognitive ability. for a long time humans were thought to be the only living beings aware of themselves and their actions. For example, you are aware that you are reading this article. Another example of self-awareness is the ability to recognize yourself in a mirror. Animal researchers have discovered that dolphins and chimps are able to recognize themselves in a mirror self awareness may help highly social animals like these to get along in their social groups. Recently, researchers found that another animal, an elephant in a New York zoo, was also able to recognize herself in a mirror.
When they look at mental abilities of animals, such as their use of tools, problem the solving, learning complex tasks, and self-awareness, animal researchers conclude that some animals do have high levels of cognition