By Brian Stallard Oct 14, 2014 01:49 PM EDT
A recent study of fish and their reflections has revealed that they are not as gullible as researchers have long thought, potentially undermining the results of many past studies of aggression.
For decades mirrors have been used to trigger aggressive responses in territorial and less self-aware species such as birds or fish. Now, however, a study has revealed that many fish species may have not been reacting to their reflections in the same way as they would react to a rival fish.
The study, just published in the journal Animal Behavior, details how convict cichlid fish (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) were found to react slightly differently when facing a true rival, compared to when they were forced to face their reflection in a mirror.
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