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Fish Can Count to Four

Posted by samzenpus on from the incredible-mr.-limpet dept.

Khemist writes "Fish can count, according to scientists, who have found that North American mosquito fish have the ability to count up to four. Previously it was known that fish could tell big shoals from small ones, but researchers have now found that they have a limited ability to count how many other fish are nearby. This means that they have similar counting abilities to those observed in apes, monkeys and dolphins and humans with very limited mathematical ability."

16 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. Makes sense by clonan · · Score: 5, Funny

    They are in School!!!

    (Yes I know, I know! It is a stupid joke)

    1. Re:Makes sense by dgatwood · · Score: 2, Funny

      My clownfish, you're gonna have a halibut time making people laugh with that old joke. That said, something does seem fishy about the whole situation.

      Hmm. Something tells me you just got schooled.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  2. Hmm... by mckinnsb · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Limited mathematical abilities?" I wonder if they can shift left one bit...

  3. Re:Now What? by apdyck · · Score: 2, Funny

    Only once we learn that they can count backwards from four...that way they know how many mini-torpedoes they have left based on how many they've fired.

    --
    .sig
  4. one fish, two fish by stoolpigeon · · Score: 4, Funny

    red fish, blue fish

    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
  5. Does that make it "1 in 4"? by Loibisch · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does that mean the child molestion rate among fish is even higher than among humans.

  6. Bad for cardassians... by geminidomino · · Score: 5, Funny

    Gul Madred: There are five lights.
    Jean-Luc Salmon: I only count four. ... ...
    *6 hours later*
    Gul Madred clicks on a fifth light.
    Madred: How many lights do you see?
    Salmon: There are FOUR lights!
    Madred: *facepalms*

    1. Re:Bad for cardassians... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nice, except it should have been Jean-Luc Pilchard. (And Gill Madred).

  7. Re:Or not.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    In other news, Nemo, the Einstein of North American mosquito fish, has just invented the concept of negative numbers. He discovered it while computing his income taxes.

  8. Just like rabbits. by Stavr0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Rabbits: One, Two, Three, Four, Hrair Fish: One, Two, Three, Four, School

  9. I Can count to Four... by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...therefore; I am a Fish!
    Q.E.D.

    Now, back to this fascinating "Dianetics" you were talking about....

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  10. Perhaps Best Not to Publish This Research by hardburn · · Score: 4, Funny

    This will only encourage PETA to make loud press releases about how fish are "intelligent, sensitive creatures" and how the Inuit diet is a source of great evil in the world.

    --
    Not a typewriter
  11. Big Deal by trongey · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can count way higher than 4, and nobody's writing research papers about me.
    Stupid fish.

    --
    You never really know how close to the edge you can go until you fall off.
  12. We finally have proof! by Gregour · · Score: 5, Funny

    My goldfish is smarter than my president.

  13. Subtle flaw, FEMALE fish can count to four by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2, Funny

    They tested the behaviour of FEMALE fish, not male ones. We know that in humans women are not as good at the hard sciences as men are. Offcourse counting to four barely classifies as hard science, except maybe in Utah, but still.

    Still the article makes me wonder, how do we count. I am currently looking at the number of open tasks on my taskbar, there are 5, I counted four instantly. I am now trying to convince myself that this is because the fifth "icon" is where in previous KDE versions part of the start menu was so that I overlooked it and not that I have the brains of a fish. A female fish. Some hard liqour maybe inorder, although sadly I then also frequently have a problem counting past the fourth drink.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  14. The fish are counting in binary by wildzeke · · Score: 2, Funny

    The fish are counting on there front two fins, so of course you get 00, 01, 10 and 11.