It is widely believed that the memory of a fish can last up to 30 seconds. But Canadian scientists have found that this claim is far from the truth — in fact, fish's memory of linking food to foraging sites can last up to 12 days.
The subject of the study was a common tropical fish, labidochromis caeruleus, a species of African cichlid. The fish have many complex behaviors, including aggressive behavior, so scientists speculate that they may complete some more complex tasks involving memory. The researchers trained each pale black tweed cichlid to obtain food in a specific area of the aquarium for 20 minutes each time. At the end of the 3-day training, the fish go through a 12-day "rest period" during which no training is performed. They were then taken back to the aquarium they had been trained in, while the researchers used motion tracking software to record their trajectory. The results of the experiment showed that pale black tweezers The lutes have a special preference for areas where food was previously available. This means they are able to recall previous training sessions. In addition, old training results can be replaced by new stimulus-food associations.
Pale black tweezers
For wild fish, establishing this food-location association is critical to survival. "Compared to 'forgetful' fish, fish that can remember where to find food have an evolutionary advantage." Lead researcher Dr Trevor Hamilton said, "If they can remember which area to find food in and protect themselves from predators, they can go back to which area again." Reduced food will benefit species that remember where there is food to survive. "Wild cichlids are widely fed, with snails, small fish, insects and plants being its food. Researchers believe they make a connection between location and their favorite foods. Researchers are now investigating whether fish's memory is affected by environmental conditions and medications.
Dr. Hamilton's interest in the study of the African cichlid was initially sparked by claims from some tropical fish breeders. "There's a lot to say about how clever this fish is," he said. "Some owners even believe that their cichlids will watch TV with them." ”