Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev discovered that goldfish can navigate over land using a special 'Fish Operated Vehicle' (FOV)
These little critters surprised scientists - Image Credit: Superstar via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci
In the animal kingdom, it is essential to be able to find your way around the environment in order to survive. Skilled navigation can be beneficial in a wide range of situations; think of things like finding a hiding spot, looking for food, and finding a mate.
A team of scientists decided to find out whether navigation mechanisms are reliant on things like ecosystems and species or whether some traits are shared universally among different species.
One method to find universal traits is to transfer a specific animal into an ecosystem of a different animal with which it has no familiarity. Scientists call this 'domain transfer methodology.'
The researchers came up with the idea to see whether fish (in this case goldish) are capable of navigating in a terrestrial environment (on land). In order to find out, they mounted a fishbowl on a chassis with four so-called Omni wheels, which ensured that the cart could easily drive in all directions.
The vehicle was equipped with specialized remote sensing technology to determine the vehicle's position as well as the location of the fish in the bowl. This technology allowed the fish to take control of the vehicle, as demonstrated in the tweet below from Neuroscientist Ronen Segev:
To prevent collisions with the walls of the experiment room, the researchers had also equipped the fish cart with a light sensor (lidar) that engaged when a Fish Operated Vehicle neared walls at a proximity of less than eight inches.
To the scientists' surprise, it didn't take long for the fish to control the vehicle. The fish acted a bit surprised at first, and the first few driving sessions resulted in aimless laps around the room. But the goldfish soon realized that there was a connection between their movement and the movement of the vehicle they were in.
Six goldfish received a total of ten 'driving lessons' with the Fish Operated Vehicle and were rewarded with food by the researchers when they completed particular tasks, such as driving straight ahead. As the fish realized that driving towards a particular pink panel delivered a reward, the fish started heading straight for their target more and more often with increased speed.
Akin to humans, not every goldfish was equally good at driving a vehicle. The team observed fish that performed flawlessly, but also some test subjects had control of the vehicle but were less capable of steering it in the right direction.
The study results show that fish have the cognitive skills to navigate outside their natural habitat, hinting that some aspects of the ability to navigate in animals are universal rather than specific to a particular environment or ecosystem. The research also goes to show that goldfish are not the primitive creatures that some might make them out to be.
Sources and further reading:
From fish out of water to new insights on navigation mechanisms in animals (Behavioural Brain Research)
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