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Study proves that fish can recognize themselves in photos just like humans do

Feb 10, 2023 by Alex Baker 2 Comments

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Study proves that fish can recognize themselves in photos

Now finally, it seems that we can all relax about finding Nemo, he should be able to find himself, according to a recent study. Apparently, fish can recognize themselves in photographs and in reflections.

Blue streak cleaner fish (say that in a hurry) were tested on whether they could recognize their own likeness in mirrors and whether they could distinguish themselves from other fish in photographs. According to the study, they can.

A joint study from the universities of Osaka, Japan, and Neuchâtel in Switzerland proved how fish are capable of identifying themselves.

Four different photographs were presented to the fish. One of the fish itself, one of a different fish, and two composites: one where the fish’s head was put with another fish’s body, and one where the fish’s body was put with another fish’s head.

The scientists then recorded the amount of aggression the fish fueled toward the images. Astonishingly, the fish showed almost no aggression towards the image of themselves and only slight aggression towards the image of their head on the other body.

On the other hand, the fish acted very aggressively towards the other fish and also towards the other composite image with the other fish’s head.

There has recently been increasing evidence demonstrating that fish can discriminate between familiar individuals based on facial characteristics (i.e., true individual recognition) and can even identify individual humans faces. The cleaner fish, Labroides dimidiatus, uses visual cues to identify between different individual members within social groups.

Cleaner fish photograph models used in experiment 1. (Cleaner fish photograph models used in experiment 1. (A) Faces of focal fish, and (B) an example of the photographic models used in the experiment. SS, self; UU, unknown fish; self-face/unknown body, SU; and unknown face/self-body, US.

The study says that humans have a clear mental image of how they look, which allows them to recognize themselves in mirrors and in photos. It’s become apparent that more animals have this recognition ability, from great apes, Asian elephants, dolphins, horses, magpies, and now, cleaner fish.

It all goes to show that fish aren’t as stupid as we assume. The whole ‘memory of a goldfish’ may actually be a red herring, after all!

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

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Filed Under: news Tagged With: animals, photo recognition

About Alex Baker

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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