Alanna Gillis

amg7393@psu.edu

Opinions Editor

Fish can drive. Not just that, scientists have proved they’re pretty good at it, too. By using a set up including lidar, computers, a camera, electric motors, and omni-wheels, fish have control of the vehicle. The researchers working the test call these vehicles FOVs, or fish-operated-vehicles, and the goldfish placed inside can maneuver them like a real car. 

It doesn’t take long for the fish to realize they’re in control of the FOV. Says researcher Shachar Givon, “They’re confused at first. They don’t know what’s going on but they’re very quick to realize that there is a correlation between their movement and the movement of the machine that they’re in.” 

Fish are more like people when it comes to driving, as the study also found that different fish have varying degrees of driving skills. “There were very good fish that were doing excellent and there were mediocre fish that showed control of the vehicle but were less proficient in driving it,” said biology professor and neuroscientist Ronen Segev. 

These findings have led scientists to realize the brains of fish are much less primitive than originally thought. Not only can they navigate a vehicle, but they can do so outside of their natural environment. Scientists now have proof that will expand the knowledge of animals’ essential navigation skills. 

It is hard for me to believe that fish can drive, but I’ve watched the video. I’ve seen them do it. It got me thinking, if fish can drive, what other animals can too? Are we severely underestimating the driving capabilities of other animals? Have we underestimated goldfish severely? What else can they do? 

It turns out, the answer to that, in my opinion, is yes. They can do many more things than we give them credit for. 

“Goldfish have a memory of only thirty seconds,” is something I feel I’ve been told many times. However, goldfish are much more capable than that. They can remember things for at least five months, which is more than three times the ability of a nine-month-old human baby. 

On top of that, goldfish have the ability to recognize shapes, colors, sounds, and faces. Chances are that if you ever had a goldfish and were the one to feed it regularly, it recognized you. 

Goldfish can also see more colors than humans can. Human eyes only perceive three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. All other colors are a mixture of those three. However, goldfish are tetrachromate, meaning they can see four primary colors. Scientists believe this is because living in an underwater environment creates more complex colors and more spectral fluctuations, which means that fish needed to adapt to be able to see well in their living environment. They can pick up on ultraviolet and infrared lights, both of which are invisible to our human eyes.

They also have more senses than we humans do. They have taste, touch, hearing, smelling, and sight, but also a sense for discerning pressure. Goldfish can tell when the pressure around them changes, such as with vibrations in the water or when the current changes. 

I’m starting to think that the question isn’t what can a goldfish do, but rather, what can’t a goldfish do?