Fish Can Recognize Their Reflection, Challenging Scientific Research About Animal Self-Awareness

Fish Can Recognize Their Reflection

If you think humans are the only people who know when it’s a mirror and when it’s a twin, think again! It turns out that some of our aquatic friends are smart enough to recognize their reflections. That’s right; a recent study has shown that ‘cleaner fish,’ also known as Labroides dimidiatu, might be the latest addition to the list of animals that can recognize their reflections. As shocking as it sounds, it is true. Scientists are suggesting that such self-awareness may be more widespread among animals than they previously thought. Move over, dogs and cats – the Cleaner Fish is here to join the exclusive club of self-aware animals.

The Proof

The Proof

Researchers conducted a two-step mirror self-recognition study on ten cleaner fish. This test involved marking each one on its throat to resemble an ectoparasite. All ten fish exhibited throat-scraping behaviors, trying to remove the ‘parasite.’ They continued testing the cleaner fish with still images of themselves and unfamiliar fish. Now, cleaner fish are known to be quite aggressive towards unfamiliar fish, so the researchers wanted to see if this aggression extended to images of themselves. The fish who hadn’t participated in the previous mirror mark test acted aggressively towards any still image of a fish, even if it was their image on display. It seems like these cleaner fish could not only recognize their reflections but also know when they were looking at a fish they did not know.

The Scientific Progress

Until now, only a few large-brained species had passed this mirror test. The list of these large-brained animals included chimpanzees and other great apes, dolphins, and elephants. Masanori Kohda, an animal sociologist at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, who led the study, believes that we must rethink the belief that higher intelligence can only be found in larger-brained animals. The evidence for this claim is that scientists have struggled to understand why some species, such as monkeys and ravens, have not passed the test, even with their high cognitive abilities.

Bottom Line

Bottom Line

It’s incredible to think that these little fish have a self-face recognition ability and, hopefully, self-awareness, much like humans. Who knows, maybe next, they’ll be taking selfies and posting them on social media. We are excited to see if they make the duck face as humans did. Next time you’re cleaning your fish tank, you must give your fish a mirror and see if they recognize their reflection too. Until then, we’ll have to settle for knowing that even our underwater friends can be a little impressive sometimes.

Here Is Why Banana Peel Makes a Great Ingredient

How many times have you eaten a banana and thrown its peel in the dump? Well, are you aware that we have all been flinging away a very nutritious ingredient? You heard that right. What you always thought to be a mere waste is very beneficial for your body. This was discovered when a few scientists encountered The Atheist’s Nightmare and took away the fact that a banana has its own biodegradable wrapper. Interesting, right?

The Nutritious Banana Peel

Since childhood, we have been throwing away a big part of a banana that is actually filled with antioxidants, nutrients, dietary fiber, potassium, essential amino acids, and polyunsaturated fats. Adding this little ingredient to some of your recipes can make a huge difference and encourage people to reduce waste and move towards a healthier and better life. However, eating this wrapper might not be the most delicious idea. It can feel a bit tough to bite and a lot fibrous, but what if you can add it to one of your all-time favorites without knowing that a peel was added as a raw ingredient?

Banana Peel Cookies Experiment

During an experiment done by the American Chemical Society’s Food Science & Technology, they dried and prepared a banana peel powder and added it in different quantities, and made cookies with it. As a result, they found out that cookies with the highest amount of peel powder were harder and were of darker color. However, the batter in which they added 7.5% peel powder and 92.5% wheat was a big success. An entire tasting panel came to the conclusion that this proportion was the best to make delicious cookies. Additionally, not only do these cookies taste amazing, but they also have the same shelf life as the ones without the peel powder.