When it comes to choosing their supporter , fish are most probable to bond over favorite foods . According to arecent studypublished in the journalBehavioral Ecology and Sociobiology , some types of fish bond when they eat the same affair for dinner party , pick out to shallow with other fish who consume the same food for thought they do — disregardless of species .
scientist at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincolnshire analyze the shoaling behavior of three - reel sticklebacks and nine - spin out prickleback . They found that when they feed the Pisces different types of food for thought , those fish who consumed the same nutrient tended to associate with each other , whether or not they were the same species . When they fed the sticklebacks the same food , meanwhile , the Pisces the Fishes had no particular orientation for their own coinage .
“ This demeanour is most likely mediated by the general familiarity of dieting - derived chemical cues , as the Pisces the Fishes were previously put up in dissimilar armored combat vehicle and were unfamiliar to one another , ” researcher Tanja Kleinhappelexplains . “ We do n’t conceive that the observed shoaling conduct of the fish is controlled by visual or other non - dietary cues that are specific to a finical mintage , and the resolution therefore suggest the general familiarity of divvy up chemical cues could be a way by which to induce shoal behavior between fish of the same and different mintage . ”
investigator believe their findings illustrate the importance of chemic cues in animal socialization . Though subsequent studies are want to determine just why Pisces associate degree with those who eat the same foods , researchers believe the phenomenon may help a protective purpose .
“ Associating with fish that smell the same might be all about food and protective cover , ” Kleinhappel explains . “ By associating with others that share the same predilection for peculiar types of food , a Pisces the Fishes ensures that it has enough to corrode . Being surrounded by similar - smelling Pisces also protects an individual against predators that use certain chemical lookup pattern to discover prey . ”
