Clownfish Use White Stripes to Identify Intruders

New research reveals clownfish can distinguish between friend and foe based on the number of white stripes, suggesting a basic form of counting.

Clownfish exhibit aggressive behavior towards intruders with a similar number of white stripes, particularly targeting those with three stripes.
The study, conducted by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, involved both live fish and plastic models to measure aggression.
Researchers found clownfish less aggressive towards species with fewer or no white stripes, indicating a method to recognize species.
The ability to 'count' stripes suggests clownfish possess a rudimentary form of numerosity, previously observed in other animal species.
This discovery adds to the understanding of social hierarchies and territorial behavior in marine ecosystems.