After studying the nerve networks of a bunch of vertebrates, scientists think that fish were the first animals to make audible mating calls. “I’m not saying fish have a language or are using higher powers of the brain,” said lead researcher Professor Andrew H. Bass of Cornell Uniersity. “But some of the networks of neurons, nerve cells in the brain, are very ancient.” Andrew and his team have found two sounds used by fish: A humming sound the male makes to attract the female to his next, which sounds like a motor running, and a grunt, used to protect nesting territory. [AP via CNN]
