This Fish Can Recognize Human Faces

June 27, 2016 2:00 pm EDT
Archerfish
(DeAgostini/Getty Images)
(DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Archerfish are the llamas of the ocean: They spit at their prey. But as researchers recently reported in Scientific Reports, a nature journal, this spitting can lead to some pretty interesting (and seemingly unrelated) results:

“[By] training [Archerfish] to direct [their spitting] at certain individuals, scientists have shown that the little guys have another impressive skill: They seem to be able to distinguish one human face from another, something never before witnessed in fish and spotted just a few times in non-human animals.”

Read the results of the study here. Watch a short video of the fish “spitting” its facial recognition below.

Meet your guide

COVERAGE

From literary events and music festivals, to the gallery scene and film screenings, Minh Tran sorts cultural signal from noise every Tuesday and Friday.