Mark Fernley, a 28-year-old wildlife photographer from the UK, recently had big cats and other rainforest creatures doing a double-take as part of his Mirror Image Stimulation Study in the Peruvian Amazon.
Though the puma, the first big cat shown, is still ready to fight after noticing its reflection at night, the leopard (seen around 1:34) uses its nose to sniff and make sense of the familiar sight before beginning to play with the mirror, also using the reflection to sunbathe.
Speaking to Caters News, Fernley asserted that "by recording the behaviors of all of these different species, we will soon have a greater understanding of just how intelligent these animals are," noting the project also documented rainforest critters such as the tayra and agouti.
