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The shoal remembers: How signs of a collective memory shape a predator-prey arms race

Phys · · 1081 words · By Technical University

Researchers studied the predator-prey relationship between sulfur mollies and various bird species in Mexico. The study found that birds adapt their attack locations to avoid triggering the fish's collective defense waves, while the fish exhibit a 'priming' effect that increases their responsiveness in areas recently targeted by predators.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-shoal-memory-predator-prey-arms.html

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Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 5
schedule Pending 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified
“enormous shoals of sulfur mollies blanket the water surface of toxic sulfur springs [in southern Mexico]”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and Scientific American both confirm that the sulfur molly (Poecilia sulphuraria) is endemic to sulfur springs in Mexico (specifically Chiapas and Tabasco) and can withstand the toxicity of these waters.
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web search NEUTRAL — The sulphur molly (Poecilia sulphuraria), locally known as molly del Teapa, is an endangered species of poeciliid fish. It is endemic to the sulfur springs of the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tabasco…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur_molly
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web search NEUTRAL — Studies of fishes that inhabit toxic sulfide springs reveal mechanisms of natural selection.NATURALLY TOXIC creek in southern Mexico called El Azufre gets its milky appearance from suspended sulfur pa…
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fishes-from-toxic…
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web search NEUTRAL — We now present temperature data for various locations and years in the sulfur spring complex and conducted laboratory thermal tolerance tests (CTmin and CTmax) both under normoxic and severe hypoxic c…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38314873/
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“The tiny fish survive attacks of birds through creating spectacular collective waves.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (Scientific American and other science news summaries) confirm that sulfur mollies use synchronized wave behavior as a defense mechanism against predatory birds.
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web search NEUTRAL — Wave behavior of sulfur mollies seems to be a defense against predatory birds.But although picking off the surface-bound swimmers should be as easy as snagging fish in a barrel, the researchers hypoth…
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fish-do-the-wave-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sulfur mollies — small freshwater fish who live in sulfur-rich hot springs — combine their powers when threatened to create waves along the surface of the water. These waves act as a defensive strateg…
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/sulfur-mollies-make-waves-to-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Anti-predator protection may be provided by certain collective behaviour patterns, according to the research. It's obvious that the fish's waving decreases the chances of birds executing a victorious …
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/48685/20211226/stud…
info
“collective repeat waves: rapid, synchronized diving movements that ripple visibly across the water surface like shockwaves.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'collective' and a beauty school advertisement, rather than scientific descriptions of the fish's behavior.
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web search NEUTRAL — As a leading beauty school school, COLLECTIV Academy has helped countless talented students carve out successful careers in the beauty industry. Our reputation draws aspiring beauty professionals to l…
https://collectivacademy.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of COLLECTIVE is denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole. How to use collective in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective
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web search NEUTRAL — COLLECTIVE definition: 1. of or shared by every member of a group of people: 2. an organization or business that is owned…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/collecti…
info
“Earlier research had already shown that these waves are an effective defense mechanism, reducing predator efficiency and increasing the time birds wait before attacking again.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Similar to claim 2, the provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions and unrelated advertisements, providing no factual support for the claim regarding predator efficiency.
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web search NEUTRAL — As a leading beauty school school, COLLECTIV Academy has helped countless talented students carve out successful careers in the beauty industry. Our reputation draws aspiring beauty professionals to l…
https://collectivacademy.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of COLLECTIVE is denoting a number of persons or things considered as one group or whole. How to use collective in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collective
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — COLLECTIVE definition: 1. of or shared by every member of a group of people: 2. an organization or business that is owned…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/collecti…
info
“researchers analyzed nearly 800 attacks by three bird species hunting sulfur mollies in the wild: Amazon kingfishers, green kingfishers and great kiskadees.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While Wikipedia confirms that green kingfishers and great kiskadees prey on sulfur mollies, the specific detail about 'nearly 800 attacks' is not corroborated by the other provided search results (one result mentions 8000 individuals in a different meta-study).
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web search NEUTRAL — A green kingfisher with a sulfur molly in its beak.This exposes them to predation from birds.[12] P. sulphuraria displays a striking collective defense against bird predators such as green kingfishers…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur_molly
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web search NEUTRAL — a meta-study analyzing over 8000 individuals across 85 studies.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00652…
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web search NEUTRAL — The team studied shoals of sulfur mollies living in the steamy, sulfurous waters of the El Azufre river in Tabasco, Mexico. These fish survive in extreme conditions: low oxygen, high temperatures, and…
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-bigger-fish-shoals-faster-accu…
info
“The study, 'Strategic choices of attack location allow predators to counter a collective prey defence,' was led by Korbinian Pacher and published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Web search results confirm Korbinian Pacher is a behavioral biologist studying fish schools and collective movement as protection against predators, and the IGB (Leibniz Institute) is associated with this research.
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web search NEUTRAL — Korbinian Pacher. The behavioral biologist studies schools of fish to investigate the effectiveness of collective movement patterns as protection against predators and the emergence of collective inte…
https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/sites/drs/funding/nafoeg/portrai…
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web search NEUTRAL — I am predominantly interested in predator prey interactions, mainly in how prey organisms can utilize collective behaviour as an anti-predator protection and how predators can overcome those means of …
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Korbinian-Pacher
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web search NEUTRAL — When predators strike, fish need to decide fast: dive or stay? It’s a life-or-death choice, and getting it wrong, whether by overreacting to harmless disturbances or missing a real threat, can be cost…
https://www.igb-berlin.de/en/news/better-together-bigger-fis…
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“The international research team included scientists from the Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence (SCIoI) and the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in Berlin”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the involvement of the Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence (SCIoI) and the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in research regarding collective cognition and animal behavior.
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web search NEUTRAL — Science of Intelligence. Evolution of collective cognition through individual-level selection. Short profile.Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) in the Forschungsverbund…
https://www.igb-berlin.de/en/project/science-intelligence
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web search NEUTRAL — The research team from SCIoI has been investigating the group behavior of billfish, such as striped marlin and sailfish, and their schools of prey for some time, as these complex animal interactions c…
https://www.scienceofintelligence.de/sailfish-help-seabirds-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Science of Intelligence Cluster of Excellence aims at closing these gaps and establishing new interrelations to fundamentally advance our understanding of intelligence. The Cluster's synthetic res…
https://www.tu.berlin/en/research/research-profile/excellenc…
info
“kingfishers preferentially targeted the edges of the fish shoals, regions that triggered fewer collective waves.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence confirms that kingfishers prey on the fish and that the fish use waves, but the specific detail that kingfishers 'preferentially targeted the edges' to avoid waves is not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sulfur mollies shoal at the surface to avoid the toxicity of hydrogen sulfide. Poecilia sulphuraria is restricted to the Atlantic slope.A green kingfisher with a sulfur molly in its beak. Extremophile…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur_molly
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web search NEUTRAL — Sulfur mollies survive by making stadium waves. In the sports arena, spectators sometimes create a spectacle known as a wave, as successive groups stand up in unison to yell with arms in the air.
https://scitechdaily.com/these-fish-work-together-by-the-hun…
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web search NEUTRAL — Here, we investigated wild fish shoals responding collectively with escape dives when attacked by birds. We analyzed the collective response in reaction to bird attacks and similar but harmless flybys…
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12309664/
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“Attacks into the center of the shoal were actually more successful.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
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“Great kiskadees... performed fast, cryptic overflight strikes that often caught fish before the shoal could fully react.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided for this claim.
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“Because these attacks triggered only weak collective waves, kiskadees could attack directly into the center of the shoal”
PENDING
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“When two attacks occurred close together in space, the fish responded with significantly stronger waves during the second strike.”
PENDING
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“after triggering many waves, kingfishers tended to place their next attacks farther away.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.