A recent study published in the journal “Biology Letters” demonstrated that fish can recognize individual humans. Experiments conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany (MPI-AB) have proven that fish can distinguish between specific people and respond to them in specific ways. 

Experiments and observations 

The research began with observations of divers at a Mediterranean research station. The researchers noticed that the fish followed divers who had previously transported food, ignoring other divers. This prompted the researchers to conduct experiments to see if the fish could actually recognize humans. 

As part of the experiments, the researchers trained the fish to see if they could learn to follow a specific diver. Katinka Soller of MPI-AB started by trying to attract the attention of fish; she wore a bright red vest and offered them food. Over time, she removed the visual cues and finally wore plain black diving gear. The results showed that the fish could recognize a particular diver and follow him. 

The next stage of the experiment was a test involving two divers. Soller and Maëlan Tomasek dived together, wearing slightly different equipment. The fish initially followed both divers, but over time they began to prefer Soller, who had fed them earlier. When both divers donned identical gear, the fish were unable to tell them apart, suggesting that they recognized the divers based on differences in gear. 

Significance of the results for the study of the animal world  

The discovery that fish can recognize individual humans opens up new avenues of research in the field of animal behavior. Scientists suggest that many other animal species may also have the ability to recognize humans based on specific cues.