Do you know some male fishes can pregnant? I just knew that male seahorses pregnant instead of females last year and "Pregnant male fish can choose to make good babies or abort them" caught my interest because I did not think that male fish can think, and then it can choose to abort its babies.
Pipefish which is a seahorse counsin will take care its babies better when it likes its mate. If it does not like its female much, it will invest fewer nutrients and effort, and may use its babies as food for future offspring with better prospects. In addition, this fish tends to like large female.
I think its behavior is the same as human because normally people love their child, but if their child is accidentally born, they may abort or do not take care their child. However, I do not think that this fish can think. Is its behavior instinct? The further researches about how it decides to keep its babies or abort them are interesting, but I think the researches will take a long time to study because it is very difficult to understand the fish's behavior and I would like to know what the researchers will do to find the answer.
Pipefish which is a seahorse counsin will take care its babies better when it likes its mate. If it does not like its female much, it will invest fewer nutrients and effort, and may use its babies as food for future offspring with better prospects. In addition, this fish tends to like large female.
I think its behavior is the same as human because normally people love their child, but if their child is accidentally born, they may abort or do not take care their child. However, I do not think that this fish can think. Is its behavior instinct? The further researches about how it decides to keep its babies or abort them are interesting, but I think the researches will take a long time to study because it is very difficult to understand the fish's behavior and I would like to know what the researchers will do to find the answer.
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References
Harmon, K. (2010, March 17). Pregnant male fish can choose to make good babies or abort (and consume) them. Scientific American. Retrieved March 18, 2010 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=pregnant-male-fish-can-choose-to-ma-2010-03-17
Can it be natural selection? Your post reminds me of female cats who eat their own new born, but weak, kittens. Maybe it is cat's, in this case fish, insticnt to get rid of babies which are not worth raising. Cruel but true.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very difficult to distinguish whether each action of animal comes from thinking or instinct. However, I am inclined to think that they can think. Many dogs have different characters. I think animals can study in certain extent and their character can change a little bit. I think though their thinking ability is limited, they can think somehow.
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