“…if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you” Friedrich Nietzsche.
Looking into the eyes of a goldfish, a minnow or a carp reminds me of the void. These simple creatures know nothing more than eating, fighting and mating, and in many ways, exist only to die. Their small, unmoving, beady black eyes don’t help their case. Some larger fish, like sharks and arowana, also have this same quality about them. They exist to kill, with no need for intelligence.
Goldfish, looking as dumb as ever
I’ve spent too much time with fish; to say it was unhealthy would be an understatement. When you spend enough time around any animal, you can get a good idea on whether or not it’s truly smart; the majority of times, I’ve come to the conclusion that the fish I raised were dumb as rocks. Sure, they could respond to stimulus, and had a pretty good idea on what food was (sometimes). But it was very clear to me when a fish was smarter than the others. It would react with curiosity, rather than fear. It would use structures in the tank for hiding purposes almost instantly, while the other fish would only catch on after many weeks. So do fish have intelligence? Are some smarter than others? Before we address that, we have one myth to dispel; fish feel pain. It is an inarguable fact, and one that no-one should deny. Fish respond to ammonia in the water, which “burns” their skin. They respond negatively to improper handling, and will even make sounds when hooked wrong.
I don’t think this fish knows about taxes
Some interesting research has been done into fish intelligence; I’ll give you the best parts. Fish can fall for optical illusions, indicating they take in information and process it, and be tricked by it. This indicates a higher level of intelligence and the ability to draw connections, and a tendency to look at a whole rather than a sum of parts. But, the really convincing evidence comes from tool use. It’s common to associate tool use with higher intelligence, as we do with certain birds, dolphins and primates. Species of Wrasse have been observed using rocks to crush shelled animals, sometimes using rock “anvils” as a base. Cichlids and catfish also use tools; they glue their eggs on movable pieces of wood, and can pick up this wood base to move their entire nest if they feel the need to. This indicates forward thinking, intelligent assessment, and higher thought. Schooling fish can distinguish between very small ratios, something even young humans and primates cannot do (Brown).
This little guy is pretty smart, more than most organisms
So, next time you sit down to watch your government mandated fish videos, remember that most of them are not as dumb as they look. While most of the small fish and predatory fish aren’t that smart, medium sized fish take the cake for true intelligence and cognition; who knows? Fish may be the next species we are able to talk with, and may one day be our overlords.
All information from
Brown, C. Fish intelligence, sentience and ethics. Anim Cogn 18, 1–17 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0761-0