Namibia - January 28, 2025 Tsaobis Nature Park, Namibia – A groundbreaking study has confirmed that wild baboons do not recognize themselves in mirrors, adding to evidence that monkeys lack visual self-awareness. Researchers from University College London (UCL) tested 120 Chacma baboons in their natural habitat using a controlled laser mark test, the first of its kind outside captivity. Published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the study revealed that while the baboons responded to a laser mark on their hands, arms, and legs, they ignored marks on their faces and ears when seen only through a mirror. This suggests they did not recognize their reflections as their own. “The baboons enjoyed playing with the mirrors, but they never made the connection that the reflection was their own body,” said study author Dr. Alecia Carter. “This strengthens the argument that non-hominid primates do not possess the capacity for visual self-recognition.” Researchers conducted 361 laser experiments over five months, exposing baboons to mirrors and tracking their reactions to red and green laser pointers. While the baboons showed curiosity by touching marks they could see directly, they failed to react to marks only visible in the mirror, reinforcing previous studies that monkeys lack self-awareness. “Although they didn’t recognize their reflection as themselves, the baboons also didn’t react to it as a stranger, suggesting a complex relationship with their mirrored image,” said corresponding author Esa A. Ahmad. The findings provide a new framework for studying animal self-awareness in the wild and challenge long-held assumptions about primate cognition. With ethical approval from the Namibian National Commission on Research Science and Technology and the Zoological Society of London Ethics Committee, the study sets a precedent for future research in natural settings.