Smart as a Fish

An unprecedented journey into the hidden and surprisingly complex world of fish cognition.

It is easy to think of fish as simple, instinct-driven animals. With their tiny brains and seemingly mindless way of drifting through the water, there appears to be nothing going on inside their heads. Smart as a Fish upends this common misperception, revealing how these creatures possess a rich set of cognitive skills finely tuned to the demands of aquatic life, and how the origins of human intelligence may reach further into the evolutionary past than we realise.

Introducing readers to the pioneering scientists conducting behavioural observations and innovative experiments, Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato brings together a growing body of evidence showing that fish engage with the world in ways that are surprisingly similar to ours. They can learn, remember the past, weigh options, solve problems, flexibly adapt their plans, have individual personalities, and even make difficult, counterintuitive decisions. Lucon-Xiccato interweaves stories from the natural world with personal insights from his own research, offering an engaging overview of what we now know about fish intelligence. Along the way, he shares fresh perspectives on a host of timely issues, such as the ethics of fish farming and the effects of climate change and human influence on our oceans.

Posing tantalising questions about the evolutionary roots of cognition and awareness, Smart as a Fish reveals that, beneath the surface, the brain of a fish is far more complex than we ever imagined – and perhaps not so different from our own.