It’s very strange to realize, but the ability to recognize her own face in the mirror — this is a very rare skill in the animal world. People are able to learn yourself approximately 15 months of age — it is also capable of some types of monkeys, elephants and even birds. Researchers from universities in Germany, Romania and Japan decided to find out whether there is such a skill in fish and, moreover, do they have any sense of identity. The result of the experiment surprised them so much that they do not fully believe in him.
The experiment was conducted on fish of the genus Wrasses, which are common in the Eastern part of the Atlantic ocean. The researchers took a few fish and caused them a note in the head, which can be seen only in the mirror. The idea was to see if fish recognize themselves and try to erase the mark.
When one of the fish saw my reflection and started to RUB against a hard surface to remove the track, the researchers were surprised. This was the first hint that fish know when they are faced by relatives, and when the mirror. To verify the purity of the experiment, the researchers struck them on the forehead transparent label, fish did nothing, and it means that the first time they focused on reflection, not felt label other senses. The researchers also tried to trick the fish, drawing a mark on the aquarium for fish did not react.
The fact that fish passed the mirror test, so surprised the researchers that they doubt the results. According to one of the authors Alex Jordan, though fish and responded to the reflection, this does not mean that they are self-aware. According to him, most fish recognize in the reflection of his own body, but a full understanding of himself nothing to do with it.
It is noteworthy that the marine life is really very smart. For example, about the cognitive abilities of dolphins can be found in our special article.
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