Rabbitfish buddies look out for each other
Rabbitfish pairs take turns looking out for predators while feeding, in a cooperative behaviour previously considered beyond their mental capacity.
Rabbitfish pairs take turns looking out for predators while feeding
Rabbitfish are commonly found in pairs on coral reefs in the indo-Pacific Ocean, and get their name from the way they nibble, rabbit-like, on algae with their heads tucked into holes and crevices in the reef. Of course this kind of foraging makes it difficult for the fish to watch out for predators.
But a study by Dr. Simon Brandl, a coral reef researcher at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia has revealed that rabbitfish have developed a cooperative solution to that problem. While one partner is foraging, the other remains higher up in the water column keeping a look-out for predators.
It is believed the guard fish may alert the foraging partner to danger by spreading and then flicking its dorsal fin, which generates a warning sound. Previously this type of cooperative, reciprocal behaviour was thought to exist in only more cognitively complex animals like mammals and birds.
Related Links
- Paper in Nature Scientific Reports
- James Cook University release