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Fish Intelligence, Cognitive Abilities & Learning

Mal_Adjusted

Mal_Adjusted

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Aug 6, 2003
Messages
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Hi

source:
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Ananova:
08:29 Monday 4th October 2004

Fish can learn quicker than dogs
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1126676.html?menu=news.quirkies

quote:
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Fish are much brainier than previously thought - and can learn quicker than dogs.

Oxford scientists have dubbed them "very capable" after building an aquatic obstacle course.

The blind Mexican cave fish tested memorised the challenged in just a few
hours reports The Sun.

They spotted changes when the university researchers tried to fool them. And the fish still remembered what they had learned several months later.

Scientists also revealed their subjects completed complex mental tasks which would baffle pets like hamsters and dogs.

Dr Theresa Burt de Perera said: "The public perception of fish is that
they are pea-brained numbskulls who can't remember things for more than a few seconds.

"We're now finding that they are very capable of learning and remembering, and possess a range of mental skills that would surprise many people."

She added: "We know that fish can recognise their owners - some will even
go into a sulk if somebody else tries to feed them."

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endquote

Mal F
 
This Telegraph article provides some additional details on the study cited above.
Fast-learning fish have memories that put their owners to shame

If you thought fish were cold, wet creatures who forget everything in three seconds flat, think again. Scientists have found they are fast learners, carry mental maps around in their heads - and can retain memories for months.

... Tests on fish in aquaria at Oxford University have shown that despite their tiny brains, they possess cognitive abilities outstripping those of some small mammals. ...

In experiments, Dr Burt de Perera found that the fish did more than merely avoid bumping into objects in their tank. They built a detailed map of their surroundings, memorising the obstacles in them within a few hours. Once stored in their brains, the fish used their "mental map" to spot changes in the obstacles around them - a feat that defeats hamsters.

Laboratory tests on other fish have found that they can store memories for many months, confounding the belief that they forget everything after a few seconds.

Dr Culum Brown at the University of Edinburgh has found that Australian crimson spotted rainbowfish, which learnt to escape from a net in their tank, remembered how they did it 11 months later. This is equivalent to a human recalling a lesson learnt 40 years ago.

Dr Burt de Perera's findings have been welcomed by fish-lovers as proof that their pets can do more than blow bubbles. "They are totally misunderstood," said Karen Youngs, the editor of Practical Fishkeeping. "We know from our readers that fish can recognise their owners, and some will go into a sulk if someone else tries to feed them."

Mrs Youngs added that the research may mean that fish-owners have to make their aquaria a bit more interesting for their occupants: "We know that fish such as oscars do enjoy having a table-tennis ball to bash about."

Mounting evidence for fish intelligence is likely to re-ignite the controversy over angling, which has focused mainly on whether fish can feel pain. "This research moves the debate along, by showing that fish aren't just swimming vegetables," said Dawn Carr, the director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "The more we find out about fish, the less likely people are to feel comfortable about impaling them on a hook for fun." ...
Click to expand...

FULL STORY: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk...-memories-that-put-their-owners-to-shame.html
 
This later (2016) study provides additional evidence that fish exhibit greater cognitive complexity than had been credited to them ...
Small brain -- astounding performance

The elephantnose fish explores objects in its surroundings by using its eyes or its electrical sense - sometimes both together. Zoologists at the University of Bonn and a colleague from Oxford have now found out how complex the processing of these sensory impressions is. With its tiny brain, the fish achieves performance comparable to that of humans or mammals. ...

The elephantnose fish (Gnathonemus petersii) is widespread in the flowing waters of West Africa and hunts insect larva at dawn and dusk. It is helped by an electrical organ in its tail, which emits electrical impulses. The skin contains numerous sensor organs that perceive objects in the water by means of the changed electrical field. "This is a case of active electrolocation, in principle the same as the active echolocation of bats, which use ultrasound to perceive a three-dimensional image of their environment", says Professor Dr. Gerhard von der Emde at the Institute of Zoology at the University of Bonn. Furthermore, the elephantnose fish can also orient using its eyes.

Professor von der Emde, along with his doctoral candidate Sarah Schumacher and Dr. Theresa Burt de Perera of Oxford University, have now investigated how the unusual fish processes the information from the various sensory channels. Ms. Schumacher summarizes the results: "The animals normally use both senses. If necessary, for example because one of the two senses provides no information or the information of the two senses differs greatly, however, the fish can switch back and forth between their visual and electrical senses". The scientists were surprised by the manner in which the fish use these two senses to get the best perception of their environment: When the animals became familiar with an object in the aquarium, for example with the visual sense, they were also able to recognize it again using the electrical sense, although they had never perceived it electrically before. ...
Click to expand...

FULL STORY: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uob-sb-062416.php
 
Of course they are smart, lots of fish grow up to be sturgeons.
 
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