Japanese scientists have found that some fish are able to recognize themselves in the photo
Japanese scientists have proven that some types of fish can have self-awareness, which is considered a sign of a fairly highly developed mind. To do this, you need to pass a simple test – to identify yourself in the reflection in the mirror or in the photograph. Dolphins, monkeys and elephants can do this, but human babies need to grow up to 18 months before they can do it.
For research, scientists took a wrasse fish, which is extremely unfriendly to strangers on its territory. However, when the fish saw itself in the mirror, it did not attack the image. What’s more, when scientists intentionally stained her throat with paint, the fish saw it in the mirror and erased it.
At the next stage, four pictures were prepared: one photograph of a fish, a picture of another fish, on the third a collage of the body of another fish with the face of the test subject, on the fourth the body of this fish with the face of another. Rybka did not touch the photo with her face, but attacked the other two – this clearly indicates her ability to distinguish her own image.
But there is one caveat – only those fish that had previously “trained” with the help of a mirror demonstrated such behavior. The fish, which had never seen themselves from the outside, could not recognize themselves in the image. This led scientists to the idea that the criteria for reasonableness and development of the intellect should be revised taking into account the lifestyle of specific creatures.
