Talking to animals. Do you talk fish?
The Gnathonemus petersii is a fish living in the fresh waters of Africa, and it is also known as Elephant-nose Fish because of the long protrusion coming from its mouth. This little swimmer has amazed scientists due to its capacity to communicate with other fish, producing a complex speech pattern (similar to the one observed in dolphins and bats).
Besides, it has the greatest brain (by body mass ratio) in all vertebrates. And yes, including us humans! Even more surprisingly, our fish friend talks very similar to how we do as humans.
Studies suggest that the Gnathonemus petersii shows what we know as word recognition. The listener stops talking and starts listening, waiting for the meaning of a word. They do it by pausing their electrical signals and resuming them once the other fish finish talking. Studies also observed that an Elephant fish alone in a tank produced a lot less electrical signals than when it was with other fish. Once alone, the fish will produce no pauses and will look like it is mumbling to itself. On the other hand, if there are two fish in the tank, one fish always stops when the other starts talking. And if a fish needs to bring a lot of information simultaneously, this fish will usually start with a long pause.
This water elephant communicates by producing electric organ discharges. In other words, they have an electric organ that generates electricity. However, while most of the fish with electric impulses use it for self-defense or to catch prey, the Elephant fish uses it to communicate with other Elephant fish. We do not know all they talk to each other, but studies have shown they use their signals to identify their mates or other fish close to them, for instance.
The brain size of this fish implies it is indeed an intelligent animal. Having a large brain also means having a great need for oxygen and nutrition. Let's hope we will still have rivers rich in oxygen and nutrition for a long time once the Elephant fish is very likely to need a lot of oxygen to live, and, differently from us humans, they still do not know how to cook. Their habitat must be rich in food naturally.
Although scientists say it is unlikely we will manage to communicate with the Elephant-nose Fish someday soon, knowing about it keep our dreams and imagination alive. While looking for intelligent life outside our planet can be exciting for some, finding something like the Elephant-nose on Earth can definitely be even more astonishing and fulfilling.
Would you like to learn more?
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31405-2
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