Cleaner wrasse demonstrate a form of consciousness

[wnissen]

This may be a bit far afield, but I was interested in this paper discussing how a species of cleaner wrasse appears to be the first outside of mammals and birds to be able to recognize itself in a mirror. The paper is moderately readable for a general scientific audience, but here's the basic summary. They took blue streak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, and put them in tanks with mirrors. At first the fish attacked the mirrors, which one could reasonably interpret as not recognizing oneself. However, the attacks soon stopped, and there was odd behavior not normally seen, including swimming upside down. Finally, the scientists added a small mark on the fish in a location that they would only be able to see in the mirror. You might expect, if the wrasse did not recognize itself in the mirror, that it would attempt to clean the mark off the "other fish". But that's not what happened. The wrasse instead tried to scrape the mark off themselves! Pretty neat stuff.

If a fish can pass the mark test, what are the implications for consciousness and self-awareness testing in animals?

 

[peterak]

Great article. Seems the more they study animals the smarter they turn out to be.

 

[wnissen]

Great article. Seems the more they study animals the smarter they turn out to be.

Cute, too!
Bluestreak cleaner wrasse - Wikipedia

 

[aquacat8]

We are animals. The whole human exceptionalism idea is on increasingly shaky ground. They used to claim animals didn’t have feelings and emotions and were just sort of biological robots (especially useful when cruelly experimenting on them). That is proven wrong. Then they said they don’t use tools. Wrong. Then that they didn’t have language. Wrong. I just read a great article in the New York Times magazine that talks about how animals have a esthetic sense that is not just survival based, in other words they have art. We are not so fluffing special after all!

There are even arguments that whales are smarter than we are, they just think differently and have flippers not hands, so they can’t get up to the monkey business we do.

I think they are just as wonderful as us, and since it looks like we are going to continue destroying our environment, probably to cause our own demise, it makes me feel better that some cool animals may evolve to replace us as dominant species after the long recovery from the 6th extinction event that we stupidly are causing.

 

[aquacat8]

Anyone who has had pets knows they are self aware. I have had pet fish. They are self aware duh.

Also consider your five senses. Now imagine you have a few more: a lateral line system that allows you to sense objects in space around you, a magnetic navigation system, eclectro receptors like a shark, sonar like a dolphin, and you can see into the ultraviolet. Who is more aware now?

 

[JamesBon92007]

I've seen many examples of intelligence in undersea creatures, including juvenile Garibaldi riding the surge through the reef, and guitarfish swim away from me and sneak up behind me and settle down to see what I was up to. When you look into their eyes, they are looking back. I've also gone body surfing with a seagull. Anything that "plays" or uses strategy to me must be intelligent, as they have gone beyond simply surviving and reproducing.

As far as brain size being a measure of intelligence, I don't see why other creatures need as large of a brain because they don't need to drive cars, cook their meals, use computers, or modify their environment just to survive. Without the bigger brain it's probably not likely we would have flourished and it may be the cause of our demise. Dogs and cats have figured out how to get us to completely take care of them.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Anyone who has had pets knows they are self aware. I have had pet fish. They are self aware duh.

Also consider your five senses. Now imagine you have a few more: a lateral line system that allows you to sense objects in space around you, a magnetic navigation system, eclectro receptors like a shark, sonar like a dolphin, and you can see into the ultraviolet. Who is more aware now?

I've always said that dogs smell better than people

 

[aquacat8]

I am a cat slave

 

[RyanT]

Thanks for the cool link @wnissen. As a professional biologist who studies animal cognition and perception, I can say that @aquacat8 and @JamesBon92007 have hit the nail on the head. After all my years of experience, I'm still consistently amazed at what animals are able to do.

 

[aquacat8]

It was a cool link! thanks!