While we have interesting assumptions about the mental abilities of fish due to idioms like fish-memory, these assumptions may not actually be true. Some fish may be “equivalent to other animals in having a sense of number,” according to a new analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, based on a review of more than 200 studies. In other words, fish have a mathematical sense.
Of course, this mathematical perception and ability cannot come close to the level that people have, but they can do basic operations. For example, by looking at two different reefs, they can count which one has the most hiding places, or they can determine how many of their floating companions are heading towards a hazard and how many away from it. However, although this mathematics and the mathematics we know are very different from each other, it does not mean that the results do not affect us.
Some fish species, particularly zebrafish, may be important in studying the molecular and genetic fields involved in number perception, said Professor Giorgio Vallortigara, co-author of the paper. These studies could play an important role in the study and treatment of neurodevelopmental diseases such as dyscalculia (arrhythmasthenia, math learning disorder) that affect up to six percent of children.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that animals have the ability to “count”. Various studies have proven that many different animals, from bees to bears, chickens to monkeys, and perhaps the most impressive of all, crows, have some form of counting ability. As for why and how these diverse members of the animal kingdom have the ability to “count” in this way, Vallortigara said they may have evolved independently of each other or descended from a common ancestor as a result of the same selective pressures.
But one of the most impressive features of fish is that their processing of numbers is similar to that of “more intelligent” animals.
Zebrafish are not alien to the neurology laboratory. Not only do they have surprising genetic resemblance to humans, but also having large numbers of babies at once makes them impressive examples for research and experimentation. These fish were given many different substances including LSD and alcohol, watched them fight, and even translated their thoughts into a screen saver. In short, scientists have very detailed information about the zebrafish brain, and this information can be used to study diseases such as dyscalculia.
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