Conversations Holiday Listening: Fishing for feelings -- the many ways fish are smarter than you think
Dec 30, 2025
Dr. Culum Brown, a marine biologist from Macquarie University, dives into the surprising intelligence of fish. He discusses how fish communicate using sounds and their superior vision capabilities, including UV detection. Culum highlights fish social structures, revealing bullying among species and intricate kin recognition. Notably, he shares how Port Jackson sharks develop friendships, while rays exhibit long-term memories linked to feeding spots. His insights challenge traditional views on fish cognition, advocating for better ethical treatment in light of their complex behaviors.
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Fish See Far More Colours Than Us
- Many reef fishes have richer vision than humans, often with four or more colour cones and UV or polarized-light sensitivity.
- This gives them finer colour discrimination and contrasts we cannot perceive, so their visual world is much more complex than ours.
Fish Use Chemical Cues To Gauge Relatedness
- Fish detect genetic similarity via MHC-related chemical cues and use that to choose associates or mates.
- Depending on context, they either prefer similarity or MHC diversity to optimize offspring immunity.
The Oddity Effect Shapes School Composition
- Schooling fish show 'oddity effect': different-looking individuals attract predators and are avoided by groups.
- Fish sort by size, sex and genetic cues (MHC) to form groups that reduce predation risk.