Are clown fish more intelligent than we give them credit for?
New research suggests that fish are, in fact, far more intelligent than many previously believed.
They have very good memories, live in complex social communities where they keep track of individuals, and can learn from one another. This helps to develop stable cultural traditions.
Fish even recognise themselves and others. They also cooperate with one another and show signs of Machiavellian intelligence, such as cooperation and reconciliation. They build complex structures, are capable of using tools, and use the same methods for keeping track of quantities as humans do.
These findings, published by Culum Brown of Macquarie University in Australia in the journal Animal Cognition, argue that more consideration should be given to fish welfare and anti-cruelty issues.
For the most part the primary senses of fish are just as good, says Brown, and in many cases better than those of humans.
Their behaviour is very much the same as that of primates, except that fish do not have the ability to imitate.
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