Fish self-awareness: limits of current knowledge and theoretical expectations

Hubená, Pavla; Horký, Pavel; Slavík, Ondřej

doi:10.1007/s10071-021-01566-5

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 201 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We speculated that if cleaner fish recognize the self-photograph as the self, marked self-photographs would also elicit throat-scraping behavior, comparable to viewing the marked self in a mirror reflection. Furthermore, throat-scraping behavior elicited by observing a motionless image would strongly suggest that response to a mark on the body is a self-directed behavior and not a response to a perceived familiar individual or driven by kinesthetic visual matching ( 5 , 6 , 18 , 19 ). Six of eight mark-naive focal fish displayed throat-scraping behavior after observing a self-photograph with a mark placed on the throat (passing rate 75%; Table 2 and Movie S1 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like humans, some animals are capable of mirror self-recognition (MSR; e.g., refs. 1 and 5 – 7 ), implying that they may be aware of the self. However, the mechanisms underlying MSR remain unknown and mental images of the self and private self-awareness in nonhuman animals remain controversial topics.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mirror self-recognition in nonhuman animals was first observed in chimpanzees ( 5 , 6 ). Gallup hypothesized that animals with MSR capacity have a mentalistic view, i.e., mental states or private self-awareness ( 1 , 5 , 6 , 8 ), yet this remains largely untested ( 3 , 4 , 9 – 13 ). A potentially simpler alternative explanation for MSR is the kinesthetic visual-matching model, which hypothesizes that animals visually match body movements with mirror reflections (considered a public self-awareness; refs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The taxa capable of MSR is growing and becoming more diverse, including great apes, Asian elephants, dolphins, horses, magpies, and cleaner fish (e.g., refs. 2 , 6 , 8 , 15 – 19 , but see ref. 20 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Cleaner fish recognize self in a mirror via self-face recognition like humans

Kohda

Bshary

Kubo

et al. 2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some animals have the remarkable capacity for mirror self-recognition (MSR), yet any implications for self-awareness remain uncertain and controversial. This is largely because explicit tests of the two potential mechanisms underlying MSR are still lacking: mental image of the self and kinesthetic visual matching. Here, we test the hypothesis that MSR ability in cleaner fish, Labroides dimidiatus , is associated with a mental image of the self, in particular the self-face, like in humans . Mirror-naive fish initially attacked photograph models of both themselves and unfamiliar strangers. In contrast, after all fish had passed the mirror mark test, fish did not attack their own (motionless) images, but still frequently attacked those of unfamiliar individuals. When fish were exposed to composite photographs, the self-face/unfamiliar body were not attacked, but photographs of unfamiliar face/self-body were attacked, demonstrating that cleaner fish with MSR capacity recognize their own facial characteristics in photographs. Additionally, when presented with self-photographs with a mark placed on the throat, unmarked mirror-experienced cleaner fish demonstrated throat-scraping behaviors. When combined, our results provide clear evidence that cleaner fish recognize themselves in photographs and that the likely mechanism for MSR is associated with a mental image of the self-face, not a kinesthetic visual-matching model. Humans are also capable of having a mental image of the self-face, which is considered an example of private self-awareness. We demonstrate that combining mirror test experiments with photographs has enormous potential to further our understanding of the evolution of cognitive processes and private self-awareness across nonhuman animals.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Cleaner fish recognize self in a mirror via self-face recognition like humans

Kohda

Bshary

Kubo

et al. 2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Sex-dependent audience effect in foraging guppies

Tepox-Vivar,

Lopez-Nava,

García-Chávez

et al. 2024

Behavioral Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The presence of bystanders can influence the behaviour of a forager, which has mainly been studied in primates and birds. We tested the effect of the absence and presence of an unfamiliar audience (females, males, and their combination) near or far from a food patch, on the foraging behaviour of guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Our investigation includes both males and females, recognising that different social dynamics and reproductive strategies between the sexes could lead to varied responses to audience effects. For each focal fish, we measured the latency to start feeding, bite frequency, time spent near the audience, and overall mobility. Both males and females started feeding faster when food was close to any audience type. Specifically, females exhibited a faster feeding response in the presence of a female audience. Males reduced their feeding rate in the presence of male and mixed audiences, while both sexes increased their consumption when food was close to the audience. Focal fish, irrespective of their sex, spent more time in the vicinity of the audience zone when the audience was present but, surprisingly, females spent less time with a female audience compared to others. Only females increased their mobility when the food patch was far from any audience. Here we show that guppies adjust their foraging behaviour in the presence of an audience. The specific responses observed varied between the sexes, reflecting the distinct social trade-offs faced by each sex.

show abstract

Fish, Fishing, and Conservation

Orth¹

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

People, places, and approaches to fishing are as varied as the diverse fish fauna that exist on the planet. As conservation planners recognize the value of substantial engagement of stakeholders in decision making and ineffectiveness of rigid topdown management approaches, Fish, Fishing, and Conservation asserts that all peoples must play a role in conservation. Through case studies, engaging narrative and graphics, and exercises, the 413-page, undergraduate-level text explores major motivations for fishing and non-fishing related values, responsible fisheries practices, the rights of all people to decide how to manage and conserve fish, their habitats, and how they are utilized. For many fishes, overfishing remains a pressing global problem for which appropriate solutions are not easily found nor implemented.Introductory chapters examine fish, fishing, and why fish matter and examine the role of values in driving conservation initiatives. Fish and their unique sensory capabilities are described along with a review of recent studies to examine issues of pain, sentience, and learning in fishes living in a foreign, underwater world. The text incorporates new findings in conservation and management leading readers to put

show abstract

Fish self-awareness: limits of current knowledge and theoretical expectations

Cited by 4 publications

References 201 publications

Cleaner fish recognize self in a mirror via self-face recognition like humans

Cleaner fish recognize self in a mirror via self-face recognition like humans

Sex-dependent audience effect in foraging guppies

Fish, Fishing, and Conservation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About