Renowned for being able to shoot down insects with such accuracy, is also adept at calculating the exact spot its prey will fall. In fact, researchers have found that the fish starts sprinting towards the landing spot withing 100 milliseconds of a hit - a reaction time twice as fast as the average human's. And unlike humans, in that time the Archer Fish has already extracted all the information needed to predict the insect's trajectory. So, not needing any further visual cues, the fish charges straight to the point where its victim will hit the water.

In contrast, out-fileders in games like baseball or cricket keep their eye on the ball, running in a curved path as they keep track of its flight. That means running further, which takes longer. Said one researcher, "The Archer Fish would be the better out-fielder".

This means the Archer Fish's brain is capable of complex mathematics (trigonometry and calculus). Isn't that just amazing?

Adapted from: Creation 25 (2) March-May 2003.

Gliding aimlessly around the fishbowl, they give little indication of intelligence.

But goldfish may not be as stupid as they look.

Far from having a memory span of only a few seconds, as is commonly believed, goldfish can actually remember things for at least three months.

Not only that, they can be trained to push levers at a certain time of the day to get food, putting thme on a par with birds and small mammals.

The findings werer made by researchers at Plymouth University. Psychologist Dr Philip Gee installed a food dispenser attached to a lever in a tank of five golfish.

When the fish nudged the lever, food was released into the water. The goldifsh soon learned to push the lever when they were hungry.

But as the three-month experiment progressed, Gee made things more complicated. He adjusted the lever so it would work only during one hour each day. The goldfish adapted to the new routine and would nudge the lever far less during the hours it did not dispense food.

But as the ffeding hour approached, they would gather around the lever, having apparently remembered that it was nearly lunchtime.

"It shows that they are probably able to adapt to changes in their circumstances, like any other small animals and birds," Gee said. "It tells us that theya re able to learn."

The discovery has implications for communities in devoloping countries which depend on marine life for food.

Fish could be taught to respond to certain stimuli, making it easier for people in developing countries to harvest them.

From: mXNews 1 October 2003, pg 6, Marine Research "Fishing for a surprise"