Do Gold fishes have a three second memory?
You are in science class, taking a test over animals. As you read the questions you sweat droplets of fear in messing up. As you read you get a dry throat and a headache. The Goldfish in the tank stares at you with big eyes. You breathe in , and your water bottle makes a loud noise as it fall to the ground. The sound echoes in the air making all eyes on you. You are so embarrassed you can't even look up to get you water bottle. “At least the Goldfish in tank forgot what happened,” or so you thought. Do Goldfishes really have a three second memory or is that fake. Lets pop this balloon to find out!
Basics of Goldfishes
Goldfishes come from the carp family, also known as Cyprinidae family. It comes from the ray-finned fish class, which is also known as Actinopterygii. Over a thousand years ago, Goldfishes were domesticated from wild carp in China.
They are normally house pets ,but their habitat is commonly found in slow moving or still freshwater. They preferably like calm waters with plants to hide the forage around. Goldfishes are cold water pets, typically tolerating temperature between 50–75°F / 10–24°C.
Goldfishes are omnivores. They eat algae, aquatic plants, insect larvae, small crustaceans, and other small invertebrates. As pets, they commonly feed on flake, pellets, sometimes vegetables, and blood worms as treats.
Do Goldfishes have a three second memory?
No, that myth is false. Scientific studies have shown that Goldfishes have a longer memory span. In fact, they can me rise and cultivate various habits and continuously do them at a specific time of day. They are also able to distinguish their owners out of various other people. These activities are not possible without a three second memory. To add on, Goldfishes are omnivore foragers , which means they need to memories food sources and places for danger. This myth would have probably come from a handy excuse to keep Goldfishes in tiny boring bowls or otherwise it may have sounded catchy.
Fun facts
The worlds largest Goldfish is 18-19 inches long. Goldfishes can survive without oxygen for months, because it converts lactic acid into alcohol in winter if it is under ice. To a small degree, Goldfishes can breath through their skin. With proper care, Goldfishes can love 10-15 years or longer. The oldest fish lived, Tish, lived for 43 years.
Sources
Australian Geographic – "Underwater and underrated: The truth behind fish intelligence"
Penn State University – "Do fish have a three-second memory?"
https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/23/do-fish-have-a-three-second-memory
The Humane League – "Do fish have good memories or are they forgetful?"
https://thehumaneleague.org.uk/article/are-fish-forgetful-memory
National Geographic – "Goldfish, facts and photos"
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/ggoldfish
Count how many time we say Goldfish for a surprise!