Fish: charming, but not terribly bright, right? That’s been the party line for years, but it turns out that it’s not quite accurate.
Some fish actually use tools, and as researcher Culum Brown points out, the lack of studies on fish populations means that we don’t actually know the extent this skill. Opening our eyes a little might reveal some fascinating new information about creatures we’ve traditionally identified as sitting at the lowest rung of animal life — even some vegetarians don’t see a conflict with including fish in their diets!
The first documented instance of tool use by a fish occurred in 2011, when a diver noticed a blackspot tuskfish doing something odd as he drifted along the Great Barrier Reef. When the diver investigated, he found that the fish was using a rock to crack open clam shells in order to access the meat inside. It showed a degree of resourcefulness that researchers hadn’t expected to see in fish — and it wasn’t the only intelligent tuskfish behavior.
Fish: charming, but not terribly bright, right? That’s been the party line for years, but it turns out that it’s not quite accurate.
Some fish actually use tools, and as researcher Culum Brown points out, the lack of studies on fish populations means that we don’t actually know the extent this skill. Opening our eyes a little might reveal some fascinating new information about creatures we’ve traditionally identified as sitting at the lowest rung of animal life — even some vegetarians don’t see a conflict with including fish in their diets!
The first documented instance of tool use by a fish occurred in 2011, when a diver noticed a blackspot tuskfish doing something odd as he drifted along the Great Barrier Reef. When the diver investigated, he found that the fish was using a rock to crack open clam shells in order to access the meat inside. It showed a degree of resourcefulness that researchers hadn’t expected to see in fish — and it wasn’t the only intelligent tuskfish behavior.
Clams burrow into the ocean floor, which means that a fish can’t spot them with a superficial glance. Another tuskfish elsewhere in the Pacific uses its gills to generate a miniature wave that pushes sand away, uncovering what lies beneath. Both tactics reflect an understanding of the basics of physics, and the ability to identify a challenge in the natural environment and figure out how to address it.
Meanwhile, archerfish use another creative tactic while hunting: They turn their mouths into weapons, creating jets of water that knock insects off low-hanging branches and marshy banks. This isn’t just about good aim — it also requires the acquisition of a skill that involves using the environment around the fish to achieve a goal. They can even bring down flying insects, which also requires a certain amount of physics know-how.
Image credit: Aqua.org
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/fish-use-tools-too.html#ixzz4BGfFcgfM
