Breaking news in the scientific community: scientist from Exeter University and Curtin University Perth, Australia, just confirmed that fish sing in the water like birds. This discovery took place in Australia, on the coast near Port Headland. They installed recorders in different places along the reef. For 18 months they registered separate melodies. The most singing were heard between early spring and late summer, especially at dawn and dusk.
What are the fish species that sing?
Currently 7 fishes were identified and each species has its own tone. For example, the Black Jewfish produced a sound close to a foghorn while Terapontidae emits sounds more like a siren sound. The study, led by Robert McCauley and published in the Bioacoustics journal showed that most sounds seems to be repetitive calls from an individual fish or a school, those sounds overlap creating choirs. All toguether it is similar to elaborate melodies as beautifull as song from birrds in the forest.
Does those song has an impact in theire behavior ?
The sounds is really important for the communication and influence species behavior. They are issued to alert, hunt, breed, scare or express distress. The catalog of sounds produced by fish could help scientists understand more easily the behavior and evolution of the marine environment. In a context of global warming, marine life is among the most endangered species, understanding the sounds could be a complementary tool for monitoring the marine fauna health.
And if one day we are able to communicate with them, may be humanity will stop ravaging oceans for ever.
