Fishes are not just sentient, but aware, communicative, social, tool-using, virtuous, even Machiavellian.
Scarcely a week now passes without a revealing new discovery of fish biology and behaviour. Careful observations on reefs are uncovering nuanced social dynamics of cleaner–client fish mutualisms that defy the human conceit that fishes are dim-witted pea brains and slaves to instinct. And the notorious three-second fish memory has been debunked by simple laboratory investigations.
Among the vertebrate animals – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes – it is the fishes that are the ...
There are approximately 603 more words in this article.
To read the rest of this article, please buy this issue, or join the Resurgence Trust. As a member you will receive access to the complete archive of magazines from May 1966.
If you are already a member, please Sign in