Female cleaner fish can judge when to cheat without getting caught

Female cleaner fish can judge when to cheat without getting caught

Source: newscientist

9/30/2021

Credit: Hans Gert Broeder/Alamy

Female cleaner fish are sensitive to what their partners can and cannot see while working on client fish. This means they may have theory of mind, a concept built on awareness of other’s perspectives, often associated with humans and other primates.

Cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) typically work in male-female pairs to “clean” client fish by eating their dead skin cells and skin parasites. The wrasse actually prefer to eat the mucus produced by these client fish, but the clients can react to this by terminating the relationship – leaving the cleaners without food.

This means a lot is at stake when a male-female cleaner wrasse pair work as a team. If one fish cheats by attempting to eat mucus while their partner is cooperating with the client, this may leave both fish without food. If a male cleaner fish knows his female partner has cheated, he will sometimes punish her by chasing and even attempting to bite her, says Katherine McAuliffe at Boston College in Massachusetts.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
3776	Federal government to kill 11,000 cormorants to save salmon	natmonitor	2015-02-08	US
3777	New invasive fish discovered, threatening waters of southern United States	news wise	2021-06-07	US
3778	Steve Wozniak's lengthy hunt for fish species	abcaction news	2021-06-02	NZ
3779	Fish killed with cigarette in 'abhorrent, barbaric' incident at popular Ashfield beauty spot	nottingham post	2021-06-04	US
3780	Angler hauls in rare mutant fish from Connecticut River	Hartford Courant	2015-01-04	US
3781	We finally know why a huge, odd and enigmatic fish likes to sunbathe	BBC News	2015-02-08	UK
3782	Nile River may be running out of fish	Global Post	2015-02-09	EG
3783	Scientists Discover How Tuna Stay Warm With Cold Hearts: Adrenalin	underwatertimes	2015-02-05	UK
3784	Oregon bill would ban drones for hunting and fishing	bendbulletin	2015-01-29	US
3785	World’s Largest Charity Ice Fishing Contest Draws 11,000 Anglers	outdoorhub	2015-01-28	US
3786	Mystery of the real-life sea serpent	BBC News	2015-01-15	US
3787	Deepest Fish Features Angel Wings, Tentacles and Amazing Ability to Perform Under Pressure	scientific american	2015-01-08	US
3788	Watch the moment a seahorse meets a fish: Rare marine footage captured at Eden	begadistrict news	2021-06-03	AU
3789	Is recreational fishing technology getting ahead of the regulations that protect fish?	CBC Radio	2021-06-04	CA
3790	Even fish not spared of Israeli onslaught on Gaza	aa	2021-05-25	IL
3791	Bluefin tuna sells for $37,500 in Tokyo	upi	2015-01-05	JP
3792	Koi carp owner baffled as fish vanish	halsteadgazette	2014-12-26	UK
3793	Great Barrier Reef potato cod at risk from own friendliness	brisbane times	2014-12-17	US
3794	One of world's most invasive fish detected in New South Wales for first time	ABC Rural	2014-12-17	UK
3795	US Navy is developing a robot fish called Silent Nemo	telegraph	2014-12-12	UK
3796	The heat is on for the 'living fossil'	China Daily	2014-12-09	CN
3797	A Fishing Lure So Effective, It Catches Criticism	nytimes	2014-12-02	US
3798	Tongue-eating parasite discovered in Morrisons meal	metro	2014-11-23	UK
3799	S.F. creating an ‘amnesty pond’ for unwanted goldfish	sfgate	2014-11-25	US
3800	Scientists Investigate Lake Ontario When Submarine Spots Mysterious Object	domesticatedcompanion	2021-05-04	CA

151 of [218 - pages.]