Scientists teach goldfish to drive special robotic vehicles
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Could your pet goldfish be hiding a secret talent?
It might sound fishy but scientists in Israel have managed to teach goldfish to drive!
Experts constructed a 'fish operated vehicle' consisting of a water-filled aquarium, a camera and a computer on top of a set of wheels.
They found that after a few days of training, the goldfish could successfully drive the special vehicle across a room towards a food reward.
What did scientists do?
The fish were given around 10 driving lessons
Scientists at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev first created the special vehicle that moved in response to the movements of the fish and their location in the tank.
They then taught six goldfish how to use the vehicles, who were successfully trained after around 10 driving lessons.
Each time a goldfish reached a special spot in a room set by the researchers, it was rewarded with food.
Scientists were surprised by how quickly the goldfish picked up the skill!
Shachar Givon who was involved in the study said, "It doesn't take the fish a long time to learn how to drive the vehicle.
"They're confused at first. They don't know what's going on but they're very quick to realise that there is a correlation between their movement and the movement of the machine that they're in."
Goldfish do not have eyelids, so their eyes are always open - even when they sleep!
They even found that some goldfish were better drivers than others!
Biology professor Ronen Segev said that goldfish were "very smart creatures".
According to the researchers, the results suggest that fish can adapt their navigation skills to a 'different terrestrial environment' that they're not familiar with.
Navigation is essential to animals in many different parts of their lives, including for finding food and shelter.
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