Do fish remember other fish?
They are far more intelligent than they get credit for:
Researchers have found that fish recognize each other and gather information by eavesdropping. They're capable of remembering past social interactions that they've had with other fish, and they show affection by rubbing against each other.
Despite differences in brain size and form, fish have been scientifically proven to have memories lasting months, perhaps even years, as well as the ability to recognise and consciously avoid pain and danger, seek out reward, navigate mazes, and even use tools.
Researchers find that wild cleaner fishes can remember being caught up to 11 months after the fact, and actively try to avoid getting caught again.
Related: Which animal has the stretchiest mouth? In reality, goldfish (Carassius auratus) have much longer memories — spanning weeks, months and even years, Brown said. And the science to back this up has been around for more than 60 years.
In general, grieving is unlikely in fish - unless you have individually bonded fish which might be possible in some species.
Their IQ lies between 30 and 40. If you're comparing their IQ to conventional standards, it is not very high, especially when a freshwater salmon has an IQ as high as 130.
The goldfish is the happiest animal because it has a ten second memory -Ted Lasso: Don't be a goldfish write it down notebook.
Fish-keepers sometimes see their pets 'glass surfing' – swimming repeatedly up and down the glass of the tank. This could be the aquatic equivalent of the pacing of a captive tiger that's bored from a lack of stimulation. But the fish could also be stressed from an overcrowded or unfamiliar tank.
The wild wriggling and squirming fish do when they're hooked and pulled from the water during catch-and-release fishing isn't just an automatic response—it's a conscious reaction to the pain they feel when a hook pierces their lips, jaws, or body.
It turns out emotional attachment to a partner is not unique to humans or even to mammals. Breakups really suck, even if you're a fish. The scientists started by giving females a chance to express a preference between two males.
Do fish actually have feelings?
Nerves, brain structure, brain chemistry and behaviour – all evidence indicates that, to varying degrees, fish can feel pain, fear and psychological stress.
Fish can be traumatized, weakened, or injured during the handling process. By following a few simple steps, you can help fish survive. Reduce reel-time with fish.

The new research shows that dolphins have the longest memory yet known in any species other than people. Elephants and chimpanzees are thought to have similar abilities, but they haven't yet been tested, said study author Jason Bruck, an animal behaviorist at the University of Chicago.
It's a common saying that elephants never forget. But the more we learn about elephants, the more it appears that their impressive memory is only one aspect of an incredible intelligence that makes them some of the most social, creative, and benevolent creatures on Earth.
Can your pet fish recognize your face? A new study says, Yes, it probably can. Researchers studying archerfish found the fish can tell a familiar human face from dozens of new faces with surprising accuracy.
Strange Swimming: When fish are stressed, they often develop odd swimming patterns. If your fish is swimming frantically without going anywhere, crashing at the bottom of his tank, rubbing himself on gravel or rocks, or locking his fins at his side, he may be experiencing significant stress.
Most fish are slightly denser than water, so sink immediately after death. However, like a drowned human, they become more buoyant over time as bacterial decomposition produces gases inside the body.
Below are some reasons why some fish species are aggressive: Fighting for food. Some fish will always compete for food. An aggressive fish will fight off other fish that are perceived to be a threat during feeding sessions.
1. Border Collie: A workaholic, this breed is the world's premier sheep herder, prized for its intelligence, extraordinary instinct, and working ability.
For fish, that title goes to manta rays. They're giant, charismatic and basically geniuses. Mantas have huge brains — the biggest of any fish — with especially developed areas for learning, problem solving and communicating.
What is the IQ of a human?
IQ tests are made to have an average score of 100. Psychologists revise the test every few years in order to maintain 100 as the average. Most people (about 68 percent) have an IQ between 85 and 115. Only a small fraction of people have a very low IQ (below 70) or a very high IQ (above 130).
A comparable study on chimpanzees found that bees had the worst memory, with a recall duration of just 2.5 seconds. Also earning bees a spot on the list of top 10 animals with the worst memory in the world.
Memory Span
"Dogs forget an event within two minutes," reported National Geographic, citing a 2014 study performed on various animals from rats to bees. Other animals have long-term memories, such as dolphins, but dogs don't seem to have a long-term memory that lasts much beyond those two minutes.
- Rottweilers.
- American Pit Bull Terriers.
- Siberian Huskies.
- Bullmastiffs.
- Chinese Shar-Pei.
- Afghan Hounds.
- Basset Hounds.
- Beagles.
The same noise level in the air could lead to serious hearing damage over time. And fish have it even worse: since the sound pressure is four times higher under water than it is in the air, a good portion of deaths in public aquarium can be traced back to repeated tapping on the glass.
Besides being able to see their prey and recognize their owners, fish also can see a range of colors, since they have color receptors in their eyes.
Freshwater fish thrive when the pH level is between 6.6 and 7.8 depending on species. This range will offer a natural, antiseptic effect that helps your fish resist illness. If you want a healthy aquarium, be sure to check regularly for any fluctuations in pH levels. Replace aquarium water..
Fishing Gear Hurts Wildlife
Every year, anglers leave behind a trail of tackle victims that includes millions of birds, turtles, cats, and other animals who suffer debilitating injuries after they swallow fishhooks or become entangled in fishing line.
In 2008, the studies led to the finding that naked mole rats didn't feel pain when they came into contact with acid and didn't get more sensitive to heat or touch when injured, like we and other mammals do.
As well as getting water through osmosis, saltwater fish need to purposefully drink water in order to get enough into their systems.
Can fish cry?
The cerebral cortex and limbic system are absent in fish. Cerebral cortex, which is what permits other animals to cry.
Pacus have often been described as having dog-like behavior, and for good reason. They can recognize their owners and enjoy petting. They'll beg for food and will eat right out of your hands.
Fish can develop an association between something they like, being fed, with the person who feeds them. The more you interact with your betta fish, the more likely they will be to recognize you. It's normal for betta fish to swim to the front of the tank when an owner comes up to it.
Yes, fish can hear you talk!
But barely, unless you are shouting. Sounds that are created above water typically do not carry enough force to penetrate the surface tension of the water, so talking on the boat or loud noise may not affect fish as much as your fellow anglers may want you to think.
In captivity, it's strongly recommended that they should be kept at least in pairs, to provide companionship. If you watch fish in a tank, you'll see that they regularly engage with other fish. It's thought that solitary fish, much like solitary humans, may begin to suffer from depression and lethargy.
The 90/10 Rule states that 90% of the feeding fish will be in 10% of the water. The majority of the fish I caught on this trip was through sight casting. Water clarity was just clean enough to where I could make the outline of a fish's shadow in the water. The key here was stealth.
The survival rate of fish released by anglers has been intensively studied and findings clearly show that with proper handling, even fish caught with bait, not just flies with barbless hooks, survive at a rate typically above 90 percent.
Fishes do have the ability to learn to recognize and avoid hooks and lures (see below), but in many cases, this only occurs where there are high rates of escapement or where fishes are deliberately returned to the water after capture (e.g., angling, recreational fisheries).
Rank | Animal | Strength/Skill |
---|---|---|
1 | Mountain Goat | Surviving extreme altitude |
2 | Arctic Fox | Surviving extreme cold |
3 | Bactrian Camel | Surviving extreme heat |
4 | Giraffe | Surviving without water |
- Dolphins. Dolphins are well known to be one of the most intelligent species on the planet. ...
- Ravens. ...
- Pigs. ...
- Chimpanzees. ...
- Elephants. ...
- African Gray Parrots. ...
- Octopuses. ...
- Bonobos.
What animal has the second highest IQ?
Dolphins are often cited as the second smartest animals on Earth due to their relatively high brain-to-body size ratio, the capacity to show emotion, and impressive mimicry of the dumb apes who research them.
Lithobates catesbeianus is an animal that cannot sleep.
This rare condition also known as highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) causes people to remember just about everything that has occurred in their life. This includes every conversation and emotion ever experienced as well as every person encountered, regardless of how insignificant or minute.
Without memory humans would perpetually be living in the present, never able to reflect on the past or project themselves into the future.
While fish may never understand what we are, they know we're not the otters they see who move with great speed and agility and should be feared. We're probably regarded more like the way they view snapping turtles. Large, plodding creatures with no real underwater skills who aren't a threat unless they get very close.
Fishes can visualize colors similar to humans. Fish have eyes that have a protective layer on their eyes. Due to the protective layer they can visualize colors much more clearer. They have a more spherical lens.
Now, in a study described last November in Animal Behaviour, they have demonstrated that the fish can recognize the same face turned to the side by 30, 60 and 90 degrees—a nontrivial task.
While it's clear that many fish seek out each other's company, they don't tend to nurture relationships with their shoal-mates. Rabbitfish are a rare exception. These colourful coral-reef fish team up in pairs, often with members of the same sex, suggesting these partnerships are about more than reproduction.
Fish have long been known to communicate by several silent mechanisms, but more recently researchers have found evidence that some species also use sound. It is well known that fish communicate by gesture and motion, as in the highly regimented synchronized swimming of schools of fish.
It is popularly believed that fish have a memory span of only 30 seconds. Canadian scientists, however, have demonstrated that this is far from true -- in fact, fish can remember context and associations up to 12 days later.
Can a fish remember you?
Can your pet fish recognize your face? A new study says, Yes, it probably can. Researchers studying archerfish found the fish can tell a familiar human face from dozens of new faces with surprising accuracy.
Fish Have Feelings, Too: The Inner Lives Of Our 'Underwater Cousins' : The Salt Jonathan Balcombe, author of What A Fish Knows, says that fish have a conscious awareness — or "sentience" — that allows them to experience pain, recognize individual humans and have memory.
Our study found that fish have prerequisites for self-awareness and related higher cognitive processes. The literature does not exclude the possibility of fish having a simple neural substrate that is capable of supporting these functions, but further research is needed in this respect.
We know that fish can sense time by swimming around the top of the tank close to feeding and they may perform for their keepers as they associate a human presence with food. The fact that fish can discern between different faces raises the question of why they have this ability.
Yes, fish can hear you talk!
Sounds that are created above water typically do not carry enough force to penetrate the surface tension of the water, so talking on the boat or loud noise may not affect fish as much as your fellow anglers may want you to think. Your voice is unlikely to spook or scare fish away.
Fish have nerves, just like cats, dogs, and humans, so they can feel pain. Hooked fish endure not only physical pain but also terror. When they're removed from their natural environment, they start to suffocate. Just imagine the horrible feeling you'd experience if you were trapped underwater.
After being caught and released by an angler, fish may die for a variety of reasons. The most common causes of death are the physiological stresses caused by the struggle during capture and injuries caused by the hook or the angler. Some fish may die even though they appear unharmed and despite efforts at revival.
References
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fishy-smarts-archerfish-can-recognize-human-faces-in-3-d/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/average-iq
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-021-01566-5
- https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/outreach/ResponsibleRelease.html
- https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/do-fish-make-friends/
- https://jamaicahospital.org/newsletter/hyperthymesia/
- https://be.chewy.com/fish-vision-is-better-than-you-think/
- https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/90-10-fishing-rule-in-the-winter/
- https://thehumaneleague.org.uk/article/are-fish-forgetful-memory
- https://www.rd.com/list/smartest-animals/
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/do-fish-ever-get-bored-in-fish-tanks/
- https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/behavior-appearance/do-dogs-have-memories
- https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/07/health/fish-human-face-recognition-study-trnd/index.html
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00157/full
- https://www.livescience.com/goldfish-memory.html
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/does-fish-raise-iq
- https://byjus.com/question-answer/do-fishes-cry/
- https://www.zooplus.co.uk/magazine/aqua/aquarium-guide/tapping-on-the-aquarium
- https://sentientmedia.org/which-animals-are-most-intelligent/
- https://www.lovetoknowpets.com/aquariums/do-betta-fish-recognize-interact-their-owners
- https://allpawsexpress.com/2022/03/02/hardest-dogs-to-train/
- https://thehumaneleague.org/article/do-fish-feel-pain
- https://www.dw.com/en/do-animals-mourn-their-dead/a-19564029
- https://www.peta.org/living/animal-companions/9-reasons-fish-sad-pets/
- https://www.science.org/content/article/how-naked-mole-rats-conquered-pain-and-what-it-could-mean-us
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/pets/news-features/do-single-goldfish-get-lonely/
- https://pets.webmd.com/why-is-my-fish-aggressive
- https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/animals-with-the-worst-memory/
- https://oceana.org/blog/manta-ray-brainpower-blows-other-fish-out-water-10/
- https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/08/08/should-fly-fishers-catch-and-always-release/the-fish-feel-little-pain
- https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-elephants-never-forget-alex-gendler
- https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/oct/30/are-we-wrong-to-assume-fish-cant-feel-pain
- https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/how-smart-is-your-dog
- https://www.hartz.com/stress-in-fish-symptoms-and-solutions/
- https://www.okeanosgroup.com/blog/aquariums/4-fish-breeds-with-quirky-friendly-personalities/
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-do-fish-float-when-they-die/
- https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/7/20/20700775/fish-pain-love-emotion-animal-cognition-study
- https://byjus.com/question-answer/which-animal-cannot-sleep/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-fish-think-humans-who-scuba-dive-homes-eric-engbretson
- https://www.peta.org/living/entertainment/the-cruelty-of-catch-and-release-fishing/
- https://www.epropulsion.com/post/does-noise-scare-fish-away/
- https://faunalytics.org/fishes-remember-being-caught-for-a-long-time/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140701193253.htm
- https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/20/482468094/fish-have-feelings-too-the-inner-lives-of-our-underwater-cousins
- https://www.amazon.com/goldfish-happiest-animal-because-second/dp/B09HFXVFTP
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/130806-dolphins-memories-animals-science-longest
- https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fish/snook/reduce-catch-release-mortality/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/science/how-fish-communicate-even-using-noise.html
- https://www.peta.org/about-peta/why-peta/catch-and-release-fishing/
- https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/mel/behavior-without-memory
- https://www.petmd.com/news/view/can-pet-fish-recognize-their-owners-research-says-yes-34800
- https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/you-asked/do-fish-drink
- https://byjus.com/question-answer/how-do-fish-see-humans/
- https://www.eurospirit.co.za/eight-tips-to-keep-your-freshwater-fish-happy-and-healthy/
- https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-10-toughest-animals-on-earth/