Image Recognition
Fish doesn’t trigger such guilt; penitents were permitted to eat it during Lent and on Fridays — nor does ’fish’ become ‘poisson’ at table. Cleaner fish are territorial but have now been shown to recognise their own mirror image based on a mental image of their own faceCleaner-fish are territorial; an individual will attack an intruder of its own species venturing into its patch. When the team showed them photographs of fish, some cleaners attacked images of strangers, but not those showing themselves. The researchers concluded that self-recognition must depend on the face: "Our results suggest that cleaner-fish with MSR ability can recognise their own mirror image, based on a mental image of their own face, rather than by comparing body movements in the mirror." They note: "Humans are also capable of having a mental image of the self-face, which is considered an example of private self-awareness."