It’s probably not a surprise to many that the pig is actually a very smart animal. Its intelligence is underscored by a new study that demonstrates the critter to be crafty enough to figure out how to use a mirror.
It’s also no doubt not a surprise that food, and the intent on finding it, provided the motivation for the pigs to get a handle on the optics of reflection. Lipstick, and how evenly it was applied, was apparently not a factor.
As reported by Science News, the University of Cambridge’s Donald Broom has recently published findings describing the cognitive capacities of pigs observed during his study. In particular, Broom observed that if given the opportunity to interact with and acclimate to a mirror, pigs in the study group were determined to be able to find food from reflections alone.
The story begs to be viewed through the lens of the much-loved and often-repeated parable about giving a man a fish (he’ll eat today) versus teaching him to fish (he’ll eat forever).
Broom found that if you give a pig a mirror, he might shatter it today by ramming his head into what he thinks to be a rival. But if the pig is taught how to use the mirror, he’ll find hidden snacks on a regular basis.
Harvard scientist Marc Hauser, commenting to Science News about the findings, offers the critical observation that similar findings of object-spatial abilities have already been achieved in other species, and that there’s still no clear evidence of self-recognition among the test subjects.
“The paradox is why animals that can use a mirror to find hidden objects can’t use it to recognize themselves,” Science News quotes Hauser as observing.
Broom aims to soldier on, with evidence for self-recognition in fact as a core, central goal of his research. Proof of a pig’s awareness of itself might help engender stronger interest in ensuring that they are well treated.
Says Broom: “If an animal is clever, it is less likely to be treated as if it is an object or a machine to produce food.”
Photo courtesy of USDA, via Wikimedia Commons
