A question that has puzzled me for a long time.

A shoal of fishes moves like one unit. When you look at them when they are moving under water they all act like one unit.
They move in a shoal because its the best way to survive. But they move like one unit, its strange, how can they do that and what fish decides what direction the shoal is going? I have asked several people about this and noone can give a good answer to this. Does anyone here know?

Just ask the average Nintendo buyer how this mechanism works.

But seriously, it is an interesting question. I don\'t have the answer.

I\'ve never really thought about it.  I would assume that the fish are giving signals to each other by making fish sounds or even by some sort of telepathic 6th sense sort of thing.

EDIT: according to http://www.aquariums.state.nc.us/ata/swim.htm,

How do fish achieve harmony of movement in a school? Vision is the primary sense used to hold their place in a school. Visual markers play a big role -- each member of a school follows some key feature of the fish around it, usually a stripe or spot on their bodies, fins, or tails. Because of this dependence on vision, schools break up or at least lose their internal structure at night. The vibration-detecting lateral line, a row of sensory cells that runs along the sides of the body, also provides information about neighbors\' movements.

Good question Bosseiman, but it always amazes me how sometimes the answers to natures riddles are actually easier to find than we anticipated.


Thanks for the info IronFist.

[videoholic]

School kids are so lucky today.  I would have had to have taken a 25 minute bus trip to the local library, look up several books in the card rack (Yeah, it use to be on cards), then go try to find them in the muriad of books.  If they are even there and not checked out already.  Then I would have to search through the books to find the answer.

Now you just go to http://www.askjeeves.com and you have your answer.

So stop bitching about how tough school is.

Originally posted by Videoholic
School kids are so lucky today.  I would have had to have taken a 25 minute bus trip to the local library, look up several books in the card rack (Yeah, it use to be on cards), then go try to find them in the muriad of books.  If they are even there and not checked out already.  Then I would have to search through the books to find the answer.

Now you just go to http://www.askjeeves.com and you have your answer.

So stop bitching about how tough school is.

Man Video those were the days. I remember what it was like to bring back that d*mn book a day late too! The friggin\' library lady with the glasses that covered half her face would jump in my chit and call me one of those d*mn kids anyways. I\'m sure that the computers kids have today don\'t give them an earful of sound lashing eh?

You should http://www.askjesus.com instead.

Fish acting together as one is not the only example, we see this all the time in nature.  A flock of birds, freakin\' ants work together to build gigantic structures.

Basically their more primitive brains are more in-tune to instinct.  Instinct is a genetic imprint of all the lives of lineage.  It\'s not perfect, so it takes hundreds to thousands of years to evolve certain instincts, but fish have been here for a really long time.  Their instinct replaces individual "thoughts." (I put thoughts in quotations because we can\'t confirm that fish "think" the way we do because the only way of communication is body language, and that\'s not a great form of communication.)

Just a thought: Militia groups have intensive "Boot Camp" programs to de-program humans into thinking like fish.  

Instincts play a powerful role in nature.

I have to agree with Trig. Fish and their keen sense of smell perhaps. A director fish? I don\'t know about that, maybe it\'s sharp quick thinking in which one fish will follow one then it goes down the line like a chain down the school of fish. Who knows. Leave it to boss is a good observator.

Trog, not Trig (for the record). Was a hard subject matter BTW.

the one at the front changes direction, they all change direction?

Kinda like when you see ducks flying, they always fly in a giant V.  But did you ever notice one side of the V is always longer than the other?  Wonder why that is?

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Because there\'s more ducks on that side.

-Eik

[videoholic]

Originally posted by Eiksirf
Kinda like when you see ducks flying, they always fly in a giant V.  But did you ever notice one side of the V is always longer than the other?  Wonder why that is?

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Because there\'s more ducks on that side.

-Eik

Holy cow.  I was wrong all this time?  I always thought it was because there were less ducks on one side.  I suck.

Man Video those were the days. I remember what it was like to bring back that d*mn book a day late too! The friggin\' library lady with the glasses that covered half her face would jump in my chit and call me one of those d*mn kids anyways. I\'m sure that the computers kids have today don\'t give them an earful of sound lashing eh?

Did you walk 20 miles in the snow..uphill, just to get to school as well?

[CHIZZY]

Originally posted by Eiksirf
Kinda like when you see ducks flying, they always fly in a giant V.  But did you ever notice one side of the V is always longer than the other?  Wonder why that is?

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Because there\'s more ducks on that side.

-Eik

Actually, I think it\'s because the lead bird changes after a while. The one from the back comes forward and the lead bird slides back one place.

Anyway, I saw a program on it once and that\'s all I can remember... so don\'t call me a retard if I\'m not 100% correct...