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
Male (left) and female (right) emperor cichilds behaving aggressively toward a diver by flaring their gill covers.
Satoh, et al. Royal Society Open Science (CC BY 4.0)
Ever had the unsettling feeling of being watched? A recent study indicates that fish are sensitive to being stared at, especially concerning their offspring, and they show displeasure. Published in Royal Society Open Science, the research offers unique insights into fish cognition.
Previous studies have indicated that some primates, domestic animals, and birds have the capacity to recognize where another’s gaze is directed, known as attention attribution. This involves recognizing not just who is there but what they are observing, explains Shun Satoh, a fish biologist from Kyoto University in Japan.
To explore if fish have this capability, researchers conducted various experiments with the emperor cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis) at Lake Tanganyika in Eastern Africa. Known for being neither overly timid nor aggressive towards humans, these fish were observed using waterproof cameras. Researchers documented the behavior of adult fish guarding their young when a diver focused on their eggs or newly hatched young, looked elsewhere, or directly at the fish. They also studied reactions when the diver turned completely from the nest.
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The analysis revealed that parent fish exhibited more aggressive behavior towards divers when they were being watched directly or when their offspring were the focus, compared to when the diver’s attention was elsewhere or turned away.
Although the study’s authors recognize that these findings are preliminary, they propose that the fish respond not merely to a diver’s presence but also to where the diver’s attention is directed, according to Satoh.
Gabrielle Davidson, a behavioral ecologist at the University of East Anglia, not involved in the study, views this research as a promising start in determining whether fish have attention attribution. “Animals are highly sensitive to eyelike cues, which they might find threatening if directed at them,” she notes. The study suggests fish might track a diver’s gaze rather than just react to direct eye contact.
Davidson believes this ability could extend to other fish species, but emphasizes the need for further research to ascertain if fish are responding to the diver’s gaze or to other signals.
“Understanding what is within the minds of animals remains one of the greatest challenges,” she states. “These additional experimental conditions can advance our comprehension of these animals’ inner cognition.”
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