Can Fish Do Math?

Fish are some of the most interesting animals in the world. These smooth, strange, and sometimes scary animals come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the smallest dwarf minnow that is less than one third of an inch to the humongous whale shark that can reach the size of a school bus!

Because of the huge number of different kinds of fish (over 33,000 different ones!), there’s still a lot to learn about them. But one thing that scientists have learned recently is that fish can remember things for up to 5 months, and are even able to use tools!

However, one of the most interesting things scientists have found is that fish can do basic math! (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-07552-2)

A study at the University of Bonn in Germany used two types of fish - the colorful zebrafish and the freshwater stingray:

The researchers showed the fish two pictures, either with 4 squares, 4 circles, or 4 triangles. The fish had 5 seconds to memorize the number of shapes, and their color - either blue or yellow. Then they were shown new pictures - one with 5 shapes and one with 3 shapes.

If the images were blue, and the fish swam towards the image with 5 shapes, they got a treat. If the images were yellow, and the fish swam towards the image with 3 shapes, they got a treat.

The researchers found that much of the time, the fish chose the correct answer.

To make sure that the fish weren’t just associating blue with 5 and yellow with 3, the researchers designed a new test.

Instead of choosing which picture had more or less shapes, depending on the color, the scientists had the fish choose between adding one or two shapes for the blue images, and subtracting one or two shapes for the yellow images. Most of the time, the fish still chose to add or subtract one shape!

This should mean that fish are able to understand basic math- adding or subtracting!

However, some scientists disagree, like Rafael Núñez from UC San Diego. Prof. Núñez argues that the fish aren’t actually doing math, rather just choosing the image that looks most similar to the one that got them a treat. If the fish is just choosing what looks most similar, are they really doing math?

What do you think?

Let us know in the comments below.

One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish,

Black fish, Blue fish, Old fish, New fish.

This one has a little car.

This one has a little star.

Say! What a lot of fish there are.

Dr. Seuss

Can Penguins Take a Selfie?

Last Thursday, January 20th was Penguin Awareness Day - lets celebrate these cute birds!

Penguins are flightless birds. Flightless means unable to fly. There are other flightless birds like Ostrich, Kiwi, Cassowary, and more, but the penguins are the only birds that can swim but can't fly.

There are more than 17 different kinds of penguins in our world and they primarily live in the Southern Hemisphere.

How do they keep warm?

Some penguins stay in the water for as long as 5 months. They eat, sleep, and swim thousands of miles and must keep warm in the water.

Penguins have dense feathers that cover their entire body. These feathers have an oil-producing gland that make their feathers waxy that keep the water away - therefore their skin stays dry.

In addition, penguins have a layer of fat under their skin called "blubber" that keeps them warm.

What do they eat?

Various fish and other sea life that they catch underwater.

Predators

On land, adult penguins have no natural predators. The eggs and the chicks might be eaten by birds. In the water, they may be eaten by seals and whales.

In order to protect themselves, penguins live in large groups and huddle.

Camouflage

Camouflage is a way of hiding something by covering or coloring it so that it looks like its surroundings. Animals use camouflage to hide themselves from predators and survive.

Penguins' black and white coat is great for camouflaging - the black back makes it hard to detect from above, and the white belly looks as if the sun is reflecting off the water's surface if you look from below.

From left to right - Louisiana State University/Michael Polito;

Paul Nicklen/National geographic

A group of penguins in the water is called a raft

but on land they're called a waddle!

A Baby Penguin is Called a Chick!

The Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Argentina Program has released an amazing underwater selfie video recently taken by a penguin fitted with a special camera. To increase awareness to penguins, they strapped a video camera to a Gentoo penguin, therefore being rewarded with a penguin's eye-view of how to hunt sardines.

The video shows the usual feeding spots of the Gentoo penguins which are near the sea bed, where they hunt for crustaceans and small squid. However, when they stumble upon a school of little fish, they won't miss a chance for a snack :😊.

To watch the video and read more click HERE.

Did you know?

• Penguins are birds that can not fly

• There are no penguins in the North Pole

• Penguins can drink sea water

• Penguins spend half of their life on land and half under water

• Penguins in Antarctica have no land predators

Quiz - can you identify these famous cartoon Penguins?

(answers at the bottom)

Let's watch some funny Penguins:

Quiz Answers - From left to right:

1. The penguins of Madagascar

2. Wheezy (Toy Story)

3. Mumble (Happy Feet)

4. Cody Maverick (Surf's Up)

Vocabulary

Marine Biology - the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea

Camouflage - a way of hiding something by covering or coloring it so that it looks like its surroundings

Who Lives in A Pineapple Under the Sea?

Above - SpongeBob SquarePants character (Wikipedia)

Are you ready, kids?

Aye, aye, Captain!

I can’t hear you!

Aye, aye, captain!

Oh!

During a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dive at a depth of about 1.2 miles, marine scientists from NOAA (see below) discovered a real life SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star!

Above - SpongeBob and Patrick Star are best friends and neighbors, living under the sea in Bikini Bottom city.

Below - The real-life SpongeBob and Patrick side by side at the Retriever Seamount. (Image credit: NOAA Ocean Exploration/Christopher Ma)

"SpongeBob” (the yellow glass sponge) and “Patrick” (the pink sea star) were found one next to the other. These two animals might actually be new (i.e., undescribed) species!

“SpongeBob” is a glass sponge. Its bright yellow color is unusual for deep-sea animals, which are often white or orange. Glass sponges are animals commonly found in the deep ocean. Their tissue contains glass-like structural particles, called spicules, that are made of silica (hence their name). “Patrick” is a sea star - many sea stars in the deep ocean are predators of sponges and corals.

But, unlike the cartoon, the real “SpongeBob” and “Patrick” are not best friends. Actually it looks like “Patrick” is feeding on its yellow “friend"............

Video of a yellow sponge (genus Hertwigia) and pink sea star (genus Chondraster) collected during Dive 19 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition. Images of the pair have captured the attention of the public and the media due to their resemblance to the cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration,

NOAA - (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - provides data, tools, and services that support coastal economies and their contribution to the national economy.

ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicle - is a machine that is used to explore the deep ocean with someone controlling it at the water's surface. ROVs allow us to explore the ocean without actually being in the ocean. They have cameras (still and video), lights, water sampler, and other instruments.

VIDEO: What's the difference between an AUV and an ROV? Here's what you need to know in one minute. NOAA