True - and it even comes with a citation! An article published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature, in 2001 states:
The human brain has evolved specialized neural mechanisms for visual recognition of faces, which afford us a remarkable ability to discriminate between, remember and think about many hundreds of different individuals. Sheep also recognize and are attracted to individual sheep and humans by their faces, as they possess similar specialized neural systems in the temporal and frontal lobes for assisting in this important social task.
The ability for animals to recognize other animals is a measure of self-awareness often used as a measure of intelligence. The mirror test is one test of self-awareness developed in the 1970s by developed by Gordon Gallup Jr. based in part on observations made by Charles Darwin. In order to pass this test, the subject has to be able to recognize that the reflection seen in the mirror is themselves, rather than another being. Interestingly, children younger than 18 months fail the test. Other animals that do pass the mirror test include many (if not all) the great apes, bottle nose dolphins, elephants, pigs, and European Magpies. Animals such as dogs and cats, do not. Studies like these also help us better understand ourselves, and our ability (or often inability) to recognize individuals across races.
original claim: @OMGFacts; sources: Nature, wikipedia, Cognitive Daily
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