Scientists discovered a "sixth sense" in fish that allows them to catch prey and avoid obstacles by detecting flows of water.

"We identified a unique layout of flow sensors on the surface of fish that is nearly universal across species, and our research asks why this is so. The network of these sensors is like a 'hydrodynamic antenna' that allows them to retrieve signals about the flow of water and use this information in different behaviors," said Leif Ristroph, an assistant professor at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and one of the study's authors.

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To identify the sixth sense, researchers used the "lateral line" or the sensory organ of the fish. This system of sensory organs helps them identify both movement and vibration in the water that surrounds them. The researchers investigated where these canals are placed on a fish's body.

Researchers placed fish in real-life aquatic condition during the experiment. They found the fish's canal system is concentrated at locations on the body where strong pressure occurs. Researchers developed a detailed model to record this data.

The results showed the canal system is concentrated at locations on the body wherever strong variations in pressure occur.

The canal system is described as a TV or radio antenna designed to find electromagnetic signals. It's like an antenna laid out on a body's surface and configured to be sensitive to pressure changes.

The use of finely detailed models made it possible to record this data for the first time.

In previous studies, fish reacted to changes in their fluid environment. Fish avoided obstacles, reduced swimming effort by slaloming between vortices, or whirlpools, and tracked changes in water flow left by prey, even without the aid of vision.

Tagssixth sense, marine animals, fish study, marine species