Can Bettas Recognise People?

[Essjay]

Individual people I mean. My betta flares whenever he sees my 27 year old son, but never flares at me or my husband. When my son gets in from a night out, the betta (he doesn't have a name) even leaves his resting place on top of the filter to flare at him as he walks in the door. The only thing we can think of is that my son nearly always wears black (jeans, T shirt, shirt etc) and it's the colour he is responding to. We'll have to experiment - son wearing bright colours, me wearing black - and see if it is that.
Any other theories?

 

[Lynda B]

Yes, I would say that my bettas recognize different people.

 

[branjie]

I'd like to see your son's face when you tell him to put on some clothes with bright colours to see what the fish will do . It does sound like your Betta is keeping a close eye on things. I'm not sure if mine can tell one person from another, as he doesn't flare at me or my kids, but he is the only one in the tank who always comes over and gazes at me each time I come close. He swims back and forth against the glass so he can stay looking at me. Definitely my favourite fish.

 

[nurglespuss]

Yes fish recognise people, check out the classic stickle back research done by Behavioural Ecologusts. You can try it yourself too.

Find a distinctive hat or white lab coat or apron etc., and wear it every time you feed him, then send in someone else wearing it at feeding time, and observe his reaction. :>

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Goes without saying really. I've kept fish for years and I know they recognise different ppl. All my bettas know the difference between myself and someone else. A classic case was my Ollie (may he rest in peace). If someone random went in to see him he'd either entirely ignore them or get cross (flare, hide). If I went in he'd get excited swimming the length of the front of the tank and if I took the lid off he'd jump to my hand! Even at the very end he wanted me. Must have been holding on as when I saw him struggling (he was old) he made a big effort and sat himself on my hand. He curled up and died there. To this day I can never forget him and just typing this has brought tears to my eyes.
There are other species I'm not so sure about, although they obviously recognise something. Endlers for example. They'll swim to the surface, no matter who is there. Although they don't seem to gather quite so numerously. I can't imagine it's colour based either as I wear almost every colour there is.
P.

 

[nurglespuss]

Most of it is colour based, for example:

The bars that appear on females, the intensification of colour in males in many species etc.

Wear a red top and go stand next to sticklebacks in a tank during spawning :>

 

[l.michelle]

I think they do, because when I'm sitting here at my desk, my office betta it always at the front of his tank wiggling his bum at me. Yet when one of my co workers sits at my desk, he flares at them. But when I come back, he wiggles at me

 

[branjie]

Miss Dib Dabs, that's a moving story about your sweet Betta. I'm really surprised that Ollie used to jump into your hand. Did you used to hold him for a bit, or put him straight back in after a quick pat? Bettas really are in a league of their own aren't they?

 

[alessasavoca]

one of my boys, Zephyr, loves me to bits and wiggles his bum and swims up and down the tank for me, when it's my other half however, he flares furiously at him! We are both quite tall and wear any coloured clothes so I think he recognises us. Don't know about other fish though.

 

[knt5005]

He's a guard betta! And bless his heart, but I don't think he would be as effective as...a guard dog. Too cute!

 

[Kaz1814]

Ghengis acts differently to my husband, he doens't get as exited when he walks in the room. I feed him though
My moonlight gourami's and one of my mollies recognise me too, they will all sit in my hand but not hubbie's

Kaz

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Miss Dib Dabs, that's a moving story about your sweet Betta. I'm really surprised that Ollie used to jump into your hand. Did you used to hold him for a bit, or put him straight back in after a quick pat? Bettas really are in a league of their own aren't they?

I never held him out of the water against his will and kept my hand in the top of the water all the time. I handle all my bettas when they need it. If they need to be moved to a different tank I carry them by hand (wet of course). Makes them less stressed if they can feel me. None of them are quite like Ollie used to be. He'd jump for his food if I held it above him and, having been a VT, he had extensive finnage to drag out of the water! He truly was an amzing creature. For about 6 months he lived with no lid on his tank and never once even tried to jump out. (I was kinda niave when I first had him.) Never come across such an intelligent little fish in my life and I doubt I ever will again.
P.
P.S:Just to show how attached I was to him I had a tattoo done about 6 months after his death.

Not the best pic, looks heaps better in the flesh.

 

[wendyngd]

Miss Dib Dabs, that's a moving story about your sweet Betta. I'm really surprised that Ollie used to jump into your hand. Did you used to hold him for a bit, or put him straight back in after a quick pat? Bettas really are in a league of their own aren't they?

I never held him out of the water against his will and kept my hand in the top of the water all the time. I handle all my bettas when they need it. If they need to be moved to a different tank I carry them by hand (wet of course). Makes them less stressed if they can feel me. None of them are quite like Ollie used to be. He'd jump for his food if I held it above him and, having been a VT, he had extensive finnage to drag out of the water! He truly was an amzing creature. For about 6 months he lived with no lid on his tank and never once even tried to jump out. (I was kinda niave when I first had him.) Never come across such an intelligent little fish in my life and I doubt I ever will again.
P.
P.S:Just to show how attached I was to him I had a tattoo done about 6 months after his death.

Not the best pic, looks heaps better in the flesh.

Wow! Miss Dib Dabs! I'm usually not a fan of tatooing but that one of your Ollie is just beautiful!! What a lovely tribute to your loving relationship! I lost a personable, loving betta buddy of mine about six months ago (Bettaboy) and boy, was that painful...He would get so excited when I came over to the tank--like a little puppy wagging his tale. I loved just sitting with him for a while...I still grieve that loss even though I have a new betta buddy for the last few months. I can't help but compare him to my old one. He's personable and swims over to me when I walk by the tank, but "runs" when I put my finger up to him through the tank. (And ironically, I chose him at the LFS because he was the one betta who didn't run away from my finger on the side of the cup he was in...

So I send you (all) hugs..Bettas are amazing creatures!! What a gift they are!

 

[branjie]

Wow you girls really do love your Bettas. That Ollie sure was amazing.

 

[SouthernCross]

It's all classical conditioning peeps. Your fish gets excited when it sees you because you've been paired with food enough times and they've made the association. They recognise your shape, the noise you make, etc. And strangers have not. Conditioning works on all animals, including people. If anyone wants to understand it more Pavlov is the guy to look up. I've had great fun training all my pets using classical conditioning principles after learning about and understanding all the processes behind it.

4 months to go until I officially graduate with my psychology degree...