Clownfish is very special among the striped fishes found in the sea. In a study, scientists have found that these fish live with many types of striped fish near corals in the deep sea and can also differentiate between friendly and enemy fish in a crowded environment. In an interesting study, they found that these fishes, which are smarter than their brain, can also count.
In a new study by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, scientists observed very challenging conditions in the environment of clownfish. Therefore, Dr. Kina Hayashi and his colleagues studied the complex social behavior of fishes of the anemonefish species.
Clownfish have to protect their territory but the problem is that the fishes that attack are fishes of their own species. This raised questions in the minds of scientists that how do these fish identify the attacking fish, whereas the environment of the coral reef is very dense.
Clownfish live in a very crowded and difficult environment. (Symbolic photo: Canva)
Anemonefish, including those known as clownfish, are fishes found in many stripes. These range from fishes with three white stripes to those without stripes. This led scientists to think that these different patterns may be used to help clownfish identify other fish.
To find out this, Dr. Hayashi and his team conducted a special experiment in which they reared some clownfish separately and ensured that they could not see fish of other anemonefish species. After six months, they observed their behavior with other clownfish to see how they identify other fish.
He observed that the behavior of fish changes with other fish depending on the number of stripes. That means they count the stripes and identify their fellow fishes. Apart from this, researchers observed the behavior of some fish by painting them with strips. After seeing the reaction, he found that the conclusions he had drawn were absolutely correct. Fish identify other fish by counting their stripes.
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Tags: amazing news, OMG, Shocking news
FIRST PUBLISHED: February 3, 2024, 09:30 IST
