These fish can tell when you’re staring
Fish may possess the ability to perceive where another being’s attention is focused. And they don’t like when it’s focused on them or on their children
The emperor cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis) is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Zambia and ranks among the largest members of the family Cichlidae, reaching up to 80 cm in total length. Breeding pairs are stable, with both males and females jointly defending egg broods against potential predators. In a new study, researchers examined whether the gaze of human divers directed towards the offspring guarded by parental emperor cichlids altered aggressive behaviour towards divers. Emperor cichlids attacked divers significantly more frequently when divers looked directly at the offspring than when they averted their gaze or turned their fins towards the offspring. These findings suggest that fish may possess a rudimentary form of 'attention attribution', the ability to recognise where another individual's focus lies which should be considered in ecotourism and conservation contexts.
Read the news article in Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/.../these-fish-know.../
Read the research article in Royal Society Open Science: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251919
photograph by Ryo Hidaka












