Growing up, I was always asking, "Can we get a dog, please?" But my Mom's answer was always, "No, you can't even keep your room clean." Instead of a dog, I got a goldfish named Bubbles. After watching Bubbles swim slowly around his bowl, and giving him his daily flakes for a week, I was unimpressed by goldfish.
Today, however, scientists in Europe contend that fish learn like humans. According to the article "Nine-Spined Sticklebacks Deploy a Hill-Climbing Social Learning Strategy in Behavioral Ecology", the nine-spined stickleback, found in streams, can compare the behavior of other sticklebacks with their own activities, and make choices that may lead to better food supplies. The scientists believe that these small fish have developed the ability to learn about where to feed because they need protection from their predators, so they look for the best place to feed while hiding. The sticklebacks pick the best food spot by comparing how successful other sticklebacks are at getting food compared to them. In the experiments, 75 percent of sticklebacks were smart enough to know from watching other sticklebacks that a feeder in the fish tank contained food. Are these small fish just like us?
read more...
