Fish Fart to Communicate

Joined: 06 Oct 2003 Location: Gympie

IN polite society, flatulence is considered a social faux pas. But a study has revealed that in the world of fish, farting is an important social tool.

Canadian and UK researchers have discovered that herring create underwater fart noises, suggesting they communicate by breaking wind.

The study's findings, published in the UK science journal Biology Letters, revealed Atlantic and Pacific herring create high-frequency sounds by releasing air from their anus.

"We know (herring) have excellent hearing but little about what they actually use it for," research team leader Ben Wilson, at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre, Canada, told National Geographic online.

"It turns out that herring make unusual farting sounds at night."

It is now believed herring hear the bubbles as they are expelled, helping the fish form protective shoals at night.

Researchers caught the herring in their natural habitat and transferred them to large laboratory tanks where their behaviour was monitored using hydrophones and infrared video cameras.

The fish were found to produce high-frequency sound bursts and the noise was always accompanied by a fine stream of bubbles.

The study found the noise was often triggered by darkness and high fish densities, indicating to researchers that herring used their farts to speak to one another.

Joined: 08 Sep 2003 Location: left of center

So would this be a red herring ? #Rofl

i dunno about fish interpretating farts but i recon a shark would be left with NO illusions that i was shite scared when i saw him !!!!

Joined: 12 Dec 2002 Location: Collinsvale, Tas

I believe people communicate though farts too.

They could mean;

-Get out of my way.
-Your too close MOVE
-Did everybody enjoy the beer as much as i did last night?

armsup

Joined: 04 Nov 2002 Location: Sydney NSW

you forgot
the room has to many people
the elevator is to full
you want to get to the front of the line quicker

Joined: 24 Oct 2002 Location: syd

nice meal

Joined: 20 Nov 2002 Location: soz

ahhh.......love gases Laughing

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2003 12:07 am

http://www.farts.com/shopping/jinglesmells.wav

Joined: 06 Oct 2003 Location: Gympie

AVGAS_502 wrote:

http://www.farts.com/shopping/jinglesmells.wav

Yes I have listened to that farts cd, very funny