Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37314594›Full record

ArticleAnimal cognition2023

Mirror self-recognition in ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata).

Trent Robinson

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Animal cognition, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
4.8field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Simian Selves: From the Mirror Test to Habeas Corpus.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

Trent Robinson, FL, Gulf Breeze, USA. atrobinson2@crimson.ua.edu.
Gulf Marine Institute of Technology · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mirror self-recognition has been examined primarily in vertebrate species, largely through the use of a mirror mark test. Recently, however, there has been growing interest in the notion that all animals likely need some form of self-representation to successfully interact with their environment (Kohda et al. in Plos Biol https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001529 , 2022; de Waal in Plos Biol https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000112 , 2019). Our knowledge of this trait in invertebrate species is particularly limited, while there are several species potentially well suited for mirror mark tests. To better understand this trait and its distribution, the current research examines mirror self-recognition in ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) using a visual mirror mark test. In an initial phase, animals were exposed to a flat oriented mirror for an extended period. In a subsequent testing phase, subjects were either (1) marked (green sticker) or sham marked (clear sticker) and exposed to a mirror, (2) marked and placed in a tank without a mirror, or (3) marked and shown video of a marked conspecific. Results showed that marked, relative to sham marked, animals were significantly more likely to remove marks when exposed to mirrors. Findings also suggests this behavior was not driven by the perception of mirror images as conspecifics, or issues related to mark placement. These data are interpreted in support of a rudimentary form of self-awareness in this species. Discussions highlight potential cognitive mechanisms that facilitate this type of self-representation and the need for additional research that informs about more sophisticated forms of self-awareness.

Indexed as

BrachyuraVisual PerceptionAnimalsBehavior, AnimalRecognition, PsychologyCognitionGhost crabInvertebratesMirror self-recognitionSelf-awareness

Identifiers

PMID37314594
OpenAlexW4380576215

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.