News

A fascinating new picture has surfaced thanks to National Geographic, marking the first documented case of a fish using tools to eat. The picture is that of an Australian blackspot tuskfish using the surface of a rock to crack open its shellfish dinner.

According to a study from the journal Coral Reefs, this picture marks the first evidence of a wild fish using a tool to eat. There is some debate if this photo, taken in 2006 on the barrier reef, is parallel to otters using rocks to crack shells open.

"We argue that tuskfish have a different type of intelligence that's evolved for their specific environment,” explains study co-author Alison Jones. “They don't have hands, and they have resistance in the water, so you can't expect them to use a tool the way a primate would."

It may not be as sophisticated as a fork or knife; but when you gotta eat, you gotta eat.