DOLPHINS HAVE JOINED THE GROUP

According to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the bottlenose dolphins have become the second of the non-primates to pass the "mirror test". The researcher puts a mark on the dolphin near enough to the face to be seen in a mirror. Many other species of animals who have been marked for the test react by striking at the mirror as if it were an enemy, or else totally ignoring it. The dolphins examined the mirror, turning their body this way and that to get a better look. This behaviour is similar to that of chimps, gorillas, orangutans, and more recently the elephant, the only other animals to pass the test. Human infants are said to pass the test no later than two years of age.