Researchers from the Macquarie University Fish Lab have discovered that some species of sharks are able to take audio cues from music. And that they seem to prefer the smooth tones of jazz.
“Sound is really important for aquatic animals, it travels well under water and fish use it to find food, hiding places and even to communicate,” the study’s lead author, Catarina Vila-Pouca said.
The findings, published this week in Animal Cognition, showed evidence that sharks can learn to associate sound patterns and feeding behaviors. Using different forms of music, researchers were able to train Port Jackson sharks to swim to specific feeding stations. This study was an attempt to replicate conditioning behaviors sometimes observed in the wild, such as when sharks learn to associate the sounds of boat motors with potential food sources.
While the sharks in the study were able to learn the conditioned behaviors, they did have some trouble differentiating between jazz and classical music.
“It was obvious that the sharks knew that they had to do something when the classical music was played, but they couldn’t figure out that they had to go to a different location,” Fish Lab director and associate professor Culum Brown said. “The task is harder than it sounds, because the sharks had to learn that different locations were associated with a particular genre of music, which was then paired with a food reward. Perhaps with more training they would have figured it out.”
Vila-Pouca said the research from The Fish Lab hopes to reveal some of the fascinating learning abilities of sharks.
“Sharks are generally underestimated when it comes to learning abilities – most people see them as mindless, instinctive animals,” she said. “However, they have really big brains and are obviously much smarter than we give them credit for. Gaining a better understanding of this will help grow positive public opinion of sharks and may shift public and political will towards their conservation.”