What Did the Fish Say to the Bartender?

Published by PETA.
wallpaperbase / CC
Fish

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard it, but it’s getting ever-better. According to a recent article in Science, fish can talk. At least one species (midshipman) and a close relative (toadfish) grunt, growl, and hum to communicate with one another, with different sounds to show aggression or lure a mate.

According to researchers, this shows that fish are more similar to us than many folks would suspect. “[T]he sophisticated neural circuitry that midshipman [fish] use to vocalize develops in a similar region of the central nervous system as the circuitry that allows a human to laugh or a frog to croak …,” according to the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where research was conducted.

One researcher at MBL—named, I promise, Dr. Bass—believes that vocal communication is probably widespread among our finned friends. It may even give insight as to how fish have evolved.

Take note that this isn’t an isolated bit of research—a great deal of time has been dedicated to investigating methods of animal communication. Each new study verifies more and more what many of us have suspected for years: Humans and other animals aren’t all that different.

Posted by Sean Conner

Get PETA Updates

Stay up to date on the latest vegan trends and get breaking animal rights news delivered straight to your inbox!

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind

Close

Monkeys don’t belong in laboratory cages.

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.

Close

Monkeys don’t belong in laboratory cages.

By submitting this form, you’re acknowledging that you have read and agree to our privacy policy and agree to receive e-mails from us.