Can Fish Do Math?

Fish are some of the most interesting animals in the world. These smooth, strange, and sometimes scary animals come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the smallest dwarf minnow that is less than one third of an inch to the humongous whale shark that can reach the size of a school bus!

Because of the huge number of different kinds of fish (over 33,000 different ones!), there’s still a lot to learn about them. But one thing that scientists have learned recently is that fish can remember things for up to 5 months, and are even able to use tools!

However, one of the most interesting things scientists have found is that fish can do basic math! (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-07552-2)

A study at the University of Bonn in Germany used two types of fish - the colorful zebrafish and the freshwater stingray:

The researchers showed the fish two pictures, either with 4 squares, 4 circles, or 4 triangles. The fish had 5 seconds to memorize the number of shapes, and their color - either blue or yellow. Then they were shown new pictures - one with 5 shapes and one with 3 shapes.

If the images were blue, and the fish swam towards the image with 5 shapes, they got a treat. If the images were yellow, and the fish swam towards the image with 3 shapes, they got a treat.

The researchers found that much of the time, the fish chose the correct answer.

To make sure that the fish weren’t just associating blue with 5 and yellow with 3, the researchers designed a new test.

Instead of choosing which picture had more or less shapes, depending on the color, the scientists had the fish choose between adding one or two shapes for the blue images, and subtracting one or two shapes for the yellow images. Most of the time, the fish still chose to add or subtract one shape!

This should mean that fish are able to understand basic math- adding or subtracting!

However, some scientists disagree, like Rafael Núñez from UC San Diego. Prof. Núñez argues that the fish aren’t actually doing math, rather just choosing the image that looks most similar to the one that got them a treat. If the fish is just choosing what looks most similar, are they really doing math?

What do you think?

Let us know in the comments below.

One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish,

Black fish, Blue fish, Old fish, New fish.

This one has a little car.

This one has a little star.

Say! What a lot of fish there are.

Dr. Seuss

Polar Bear Day

International Polar Bear Day is an annual event celebrated every February 27, to coincide with the time period when polar bear moms and cubs are sleeping in their dens, and to raise awareness about the conservation status of the polar bear (Wikipedia).

Polar bears are the largest bears in the world. They grow to be 6–9 feet long and weigh between 900 to 1,600 pounds. They live in the Arctic, on ice-covered waters.

(Image from WWF)

Polar bears are mammals

A mammal is an animal that breathes air, has a backbone, and grows hair at some point during its life. All female mammals have glands that can produce milk. There are more than 5,000 different species of mammals in the world - from the tiny bat to the large whales. Humans are mammals too.

Polar bears build a den in the snow and give birth there to one or two cubs in November or December. When born, the cubs are are very small - they weigh about 1lb. Mama bear nurses them and they grow very fast. When the cubs are strong enough to survive outside the den (usually around March or April), they will go out and start to learn how to hunt seals.

Photo: Daniel J. Cox

What do they eat?

Polar bears are carnivores and feed mainly on seals. They are actually the largest land carnivores.

Why are they white?

Before reading the answer - what do you think?

Polar bears have white fur so that they can camouflage into their environment.

Although adult polar bears have no natural predators, walruses and wolves can kill them. Young polar bear cubs can be eaten by wolves.

Polar bears camouflage themselves so well that sometimes you would think that all you would see is a pile of snow.

A polar bear's skin is black and its hairs are hollow.

Do they hibernate?

No! A polar bear's heart rate and body temperature stays the same throughout winter, so the cubs will stay warm. When in their den, the polar bears' mama wont eat, but will use her fat reserves to sustain herself and her cubs.

Are polar bears endangered species?

Polar bears are Vulnerable - it means that they are at risk of extinction in the wild.

Polar bears eat seals. In order to do so they need to walk on the sea's ice to reach them. Climate change causes the sea's ice to melt earlier than in the past. This makes it harder for polar bears to hunt, which leads them to scavenge for less nutritious food.

Vocabulary:

Mammal - a warm-blooded animal with a backbone that feeds its young with milk produced by the mother

Extinction - the dying out or disappearance of a species from Earth

Camouflage - a way of hiding something by covering or coloring it so that it looks like its surroundings

Ladybugs in Love - A Valentine's Day Science

Ladybugs are cute insects that usually live by themselves. They munch on bugs and help farmers and gardeners. But when the weather gets colder and the bugs they eat disappear, the ladybugs fly up high and let the winds carry them to the mountains. They find their way to the same spot and look for their true love.

Once they found their mate, they gather together - thousands of them, and get ready to hibernate for the winter.

Ladybugs aggregate in Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, CA. Photography - Dr. Orna Kretchmer

There are more than 4,500 different species of ladybugs in the world - more than 400 of them in North America. They come in many different shapes and colors.

Convergent Ladybug. Photography by Dr. Orna Kretchmer

Ladybugs are one of the most loveable insects, and in many cultures it's considered to be a sign of good luck when a ladybug lands on you.

Ladybugs are insects

All insects are invertebrates - they do not have a backbone.

They are cold blooded - their body temperature changes depending on how warm or cold the air is around them .

Insects can be found in every country in the world.

All insects have three body parts: Head, Thorax (chest), and Abdomen (belly).

All insects have six legs.

On the head of the ladybug we will find their mouth, eyes, and two antennae.

The chest has three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings.

The belly contains organs for food digestion and breathing. The ladybugs breath through openings on the sides of the chest and belly.

Many people think that insects are annoying and irritating (or even scary), but many insects are very important both to the environment and to humans. Insects like wasps, bees, butterflies, and ants pollinate flowers or spread plants' seeds, helping us have good crops and beautiful flowers and trees. Ladybugs help farmers by eating aphids and mites - bugs that can harm plants.

Ladybugs are helpful and cute.

1. Ladybugs are beetles.

2. Not all ladybugs have spots. Some are spotless.

3. Ladybugs lay their eggs on leaves.

4. Ladybugs go through a process called Metamorphosis - their body shape change completely - from egg to larva, pupa, and then to adult.

5. Ladybugs can live between 1-2 years.

6. Their main predators include birds, frogs, spiders, wasps, and dragonflies.

7. Their bright red color "tells" predators: "we are not tasty".

Love in Nature

Click on THIS LINK - to see Hearts in Nature - National Geographic Kids

Happy Valentine's Day !