My experiences make me certain some animals are self-aware.
For decades now, I have been fortunate to share my life with some wonderful arabian horses (for those of you that don't know, they were raised in tents with their bedouin owners and were valued above everything in the nomadic life, resulting what in most cases is a higher level of human to animal bonding than normal).
While all of mine were tested to above average intelligence for the breed, one of them has exhibited amazing self-awareness. He solves problems. Here is an example. For several days, he seemed to be watching me undo the box that contained his treats. One day, he made his way to the "cookie" box, flipped both handles, rolled the lid off and proceeded to reward himself with food.
In this instance, the motivator for him was food. The other horses knew there was food in that box but this one figured out how to access the treats himself.
Is that self-awareness? I believe so.
I don't believe all animals are self-aware. But I definitely believe some are. Over the years, I've come to believe it relates to how they are perceived and treated by their owners.
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