They don’t shake fins or slap one another on their scaly backs. But fish are highly social, make friends and seek out companions they have previously swum with, scientists have discovered.
The research suggests that the commonly held view of fish as empty-headed, forgetting what they did a few moments ago each time they traverse a fish tank, is wrong: scandalously so.
Fish have attuned memories and can remember past friends both by recognising familiar behaviour and by smelling or tasting the “chemical signature” of their diet and the acidity or salinity of their watery home.
Scientists believe the findings will deepen understanding of social networks among other animal species and to develop ways to combat common threats such as disease.
The study began on…