![]() Brown surgeon fish have been studied in the Red Sea with respect to their spatial learning abilities and experiments show that they pay a lot of attention to landmarks as they are navigating around the reef. "For example, the family to which they belong (surgeon fishes) have larger than average relative brain size which is a common trait with fish associated with complex environments, and coral reefs in particular. This piece written last month by Emily Sohn for Hakai Magazine explains the push to breed captive blue tangs so that, at the very least, these fish won't be harvested in large numbers from the wild. That "under threat" sentence, together with the important ecological role for this fish in coral reef protection, caught my attention: It's exactly why scientists are so worried right now. They graze algae on coral reefs, which is a very important job because it prevents the corals from being over-grown." They have a huge distribution (Indo-Pacific) but are under threat from illegal collection. They have very sharp spines on either side of their tail which erect when frightened. "We know that their skin reflects light at 490nm (deep blue) and they tend to get lighter at night (this is under hormone control). But that is true for the vast majority of the 32+ thousand species of fish out there. "You'll be shocked to discover that we actually know very little about cognition in blue tangs. Now, with two weeks to go until the very-hyped opening of Finding Dory - the Disney/Pixar sequel to Nemo - concern mounts for what may happen with the Pacific blue tang. Some children, seeking to give their new pets freedom through the same route used by Nemo in the film, flushed their fish down the toilet. ![]() It happened with Finding Nemo, when children clamored for clownfish. ![]() It happened in the wake of Beverly Hills Chihuahua - and the tiny dogs paid the price when they were abandoned at high rates. It happened when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies came out at one point, 90 percent of purchased turtles were estimated to have died in the United States alone. Before long, the cute new member of the family becomes too much trouble, or isn't cared for properly the animal dies, is abandoned, or is surrendered to overwhelmed rescue groups. Then they rush out to buy one of the very same type of animal, to keep as a pet. Families go to see movies that feature fun, friendly animals on the big screen.
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