Written by PETA Those of you who still need convincing that fish
sea kittens are smarter than a 5-year-old should check out
today's New York Times. Molecular biologist and geneticist Sean
B. Carroll writes about recent studies indicating that fish who
inhabit coral reefs can learn to differentiate between targets
marked with different designs and colors in order to obtain
food. Other studies of coral-reef fish in their natural habitat
show that fish are more drawn to "dummies" that closely resemble
beneficial "cleaner fish" than to dummies with similar coloring
but different markings. If you can stand the cuteness, check out
this photo of a teeny-tiny damselfish poking a target marked
with an asterisk with his (or her) teeny-tiny nose. Of course,
it comes as no surprise to us here at Sea Kitten Central that
fish are smart cookies. Previous studies have shown that fish
have long-term memories and can learn to avoid nets by watching
what other fish do. "[T]hey are capable of learning quickly,"
says Dr. Chris Gl