Reef Fishes Uses Sign Language To hunt

[Gouldian]

New research published in the journal of Nature Communications on Tuesday, shows that the coral grouper, a predator reef fish, uses sign language to guide fellow hunters where the prey is hiding.

In this ground breaking study, the unusual relationship between the coral grouper, the giant moray eel, and the Napoloen wrasse was discovered. By cooperating, the three species maximize their changes of getting their next meal.

The study states that the grouper performs a high frequency shimmy or body shake in front of the moray as a general invitation to join in the chase.

The second signal is a referential gesture or headstand, which the grouper performs vertically and head down, indicating to the moray or the wrasse where the prey is hiding.

Source: - http://www.examiner.com/article/reef-fish-uses-sign-language-to-hunt