Alex, an African Gray parrot, is so far the only non-human animal to ever ask an existential question about himself, which means he was self-aware enough to understand his own existence.
Alex was owned and used by researcher Irene Pepperberg, an animal psychologist, to better understand how parrots can learn from and mimic humans. However, as time went on, Pepperberg realized that Alex wasn’t just reciting her actions and words, he was learning and thinking for himself. For example, when Pepperberg would ask what color corn is, even though there was no corn visible, Alex would answer yellow.
Since free thought is often cited as the biggest difference between animals and humans, researchers have pursued an understanding of animal intelligence since at least the 1600s. According to The New York Times:
The question of animal intelligence goes back at least to Descartes and his famous aphorism, “I think, therefore I am.” Animals cannot think, said Descartes, and therefore are inferior to humans. And for many theologians and philosophers, the ability to think gives man a unique closeness to God.
Unlike other animals such as dolphins and chimpanzees who can answer questions, Alex is so far the only one to ever ask one about himself. One day, while learning colors, Alex looked into the mirror and asked, “What color?” A research assistant then told Alex that he was a gray parrot. After repeating the question six times, Alex learned the color gray. Even though it seems like he was just trying to figure out what gray was, the question, if thought about in terms of Descartes’ quote, shows that Alex was also thinking about himself and his own existence as a living thing.
Besides being the first animal to fully show that he knew of his own existence, Alex also expressed opinions and asked many other questions such as what a carrot was and where Pepperberg was going.
Alex sadly died in 2007 at the age of 31. His last words were to Pepperberg the night before when he said, “You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you.” Pepperberg has since started training other parrots, none of which are as smart as Alex was.
(h/t Reddit)
