Virginia Morell

Writer

Virginia Morell is an American science writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Science and Smithsonian, among others. She is the author of Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures (2013) and Becoming a Marine Biologist (2019).

X (Formerly Twitter)

Written by Virginia Morell

A dolphin underwater facing the camera with another dolphin visible in the background in deep blue water.

essay

Animals and humans

What do mirror tests test?

Chimps, dolphins and elephants pass, dogs and cats don’t. Is the mirror test a reliable mark of self-awareness?

Virginia Morell