In an interesting development, scientists from the James Cook University in Queensland, Australia have documented for the first time how Lionfish use their pointed, venomous fins to initiate cooperative hunting missions. During the study, Oona Lonnstedt and her colleagues built a special aquarium that held prey fish at one end. They then placed a Dendrochirus zebra lionfish in the middle of the tank and let it discover the prey fish. Next they placed a different species of lionfish (Pterois antennata) at the opposite end of the tank from the prey fish. In a behavior that mirrored that seen by Lonnstedt on many occasions in the wild, the team saw the D. zebra first approach the other lionfish and then wave one fin after another. In an apparent attempt to ‘invite’ the second lionfish to follow the D. zebra then swam back over toward the prey. If the other fish failed to follow, the D. zebra returned and repeated its fin display. Once the second lionfish was released and joined the hunt, the two species of lionfish were 50 percent more successful at catching prey than fish that hunted on their own. “Cooperation requires high cognition, but fish have traditionally been perceived as being at the bottom” of the cognition scale, said Lonnstedt, a graduate student in marine biology. “But when you look at their social behaviors, you can see that these fish are way more advanced than we thought.” As well as giving a fascinating insight into these complex and beautiful predators, the studies could potentially help conservationists develop strategies against another species of lionfish Pterois volitans which is decimating native reefs in the Caribbean and the Atlantic seaboard after accidental introduction. More: Lionfish Wave Initiates Pack Hunt… More:
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