Self recognition is considered a big deal because very few animals that we know of are capable of it: most apes, some monkeys, dolphins, elephants, magpies, etc. Notice they also happen to be among the most sapient animals.
In this case self-recognition == self-awareness. The ants had a stored representation of themselves in memory that didn't include a blue dot on the head. When met with their reflection they were able to deduce that:
a) they were looking at themselves
b) the blue dot was not a part of them and so should be removable
Whether it's possible to be unconsciously self-aware is an interesting question.
In this case self-recognition == self-awareness. The ants had a stored representation of themselves in memory that didn't include a blue dot on the head. When met with their reflection they were able to deduce that:
a) they were looking at themselves
b) the blue dot was not a part of them and so should be removable
Whether it's possible to be unconsciously self-aware is an interesting question.