Fish and Birds - Aquarium Advice

fredenj · 10-25-2007, 01:32 PM

Fish vs Birds. Sounds crazy but maybe when various lifeforms emerged from the sea to take to the skies eons ago they could have kept some behavioral traits. They seem to have the same behavior at times. For instance schooling fish appear similar to types of migratory birds, especially where I live in the east, where huge numbers of birds fly close together and change directions suddenly and fluidly in the sky. I've heard that it has something to do with the way they're brain works that causes this.

theotheragentm · 10-25-2007, 03:05 PM

Wow, what a first post! Welcome to AA. I agree with that. A lot of grouping animals group together in order to have safety in numbers as well as other benefits.

newfound77951 · 10-26-2007, 11:29 AM

Yes, it's called convergent evolution!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution

Welcome to AA!!

**QTOFFER** · 10-26-2007, 01:02 PM

Welcome to AA!!!!

It's amazing how large groups of birds and fish can coordinate their movements so precisely. They must be able to detect the tiny electrical fields produced by contracting muscles in order to reproduce those movements so quickly. And who is the leader of the flock/herd/school? How is that role passed on to another individual on the other side of the group (as in when a large group suddenly changes direction?

Finally, it's also curious how predators will go into brain freeze when presented with multiple synchronized prey targets. Why don't they simply zero in on one and go after it? It's almost as if their visual system is easily distracted by multiple targets. Flocking/herding/schooling is a very effective defense against predation - only the weak or injured individuals that can't keep up with the others are captured.

10-25-2007, 01:32 PM	#1
fredenj Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1	Fish and Birds Fish vs Birds. Sounds crazy but maybe when various lifeforms emerged from the sea to take to the skies eons ago they could have kept some behavioral traits. They seem to have the same behavior at times. For instance schooling fish appear similar to types of migratory birds, especially where I live in the east, where huge numbers of birds fly close together and change directions suddenly and fluidly in the sky. I've heard that it has something to do with the way they're brain works that causes this.

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10-25-2007, 03:05 PM	#2
theotheragentm Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,177	Wow, what a first post! Welcome to AA. I agree with that. A lot of grouping animals group together in order to have safety in numbers as well as other benefits.

10-26-2007, 01:02 PM	#4
QTOFFER Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kew Gardens, NY Posts: 3,701 Images: 30	Welcome to AA!!!! It's amazing how large groups of birds and fish can coordinate their movements so precisely. They must be able to detect the tiny electrical fields produced by contracting muscles in order to reproduce those movements so quickly. And who is the leader of the flock/herd/school? How is that role passed on to another individual on the other side of the group (as in when a large group suddenly changes direction? Finally, it's also curious how predators will go into brain freeze when presented with multiple synchronized prey targets. Why don't they simply zero in on one and go after it? It's almost as if their visual system is easily distracted by multiple targets. Flocking/herding/schooling is a very effective defense against predation - only the weak or injured individuals that can't keep up with the others are captured.