AS BIRDS SOME REEF FISHES SING A DAWN CHORUS
But a creepy chorus. Australian scientists have found evidence that certain species of fish actually sing together, in a chorus, each day at dawn and dusk. The results are published in the Journal Bioacoustic.
Researchers recorded vocalization of fish over an 18-month period in the coastal waters off Port Headland in Western Australia, and what they found were seven distinct fish choruses, happening at dawn and at dusk
Sound plays an important role in various behavioural functions and life stages of fish, such as spawning, feeding, territorial disputes or distress. Noctural fishes use calls to stay together when they hunt, while fish that are active during the day use sound to defend their territory.
Cataloguing the acoustic characteristics and temporal patterns of choruses and their locations is important, can provide significant information for long-term monitoring of vocal fishes and their ecosystems. A silent aquatic environment means ecosystemic problems such as lower species abundance and absence of fish.
- Photo: mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus) by Rudie Kuiter
- Reference (Open Access) Parsons et al. 2016. Fish choruses off Port Hedland, Western Australia. Bioacoustic.





