Scientists have debunked the belief that using tools is unique to mammals and birds, after documenting tropical fish that smash shellfish against rocks to open and eat the meat, in a fascinating new study published in the journal Coral Reefs on 26 March 2025.
Dr Juliette Tariel-Adam from the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University led a project tracking tool use in multiple species of wrasses — a colourful reef fish.
The study logs fish deliberately picking up hard-shelled prey like crabs and molluscs, smashing them against hard surfaces like rocks to access the meal inside.
“Tool use is typically associated with humans, but this behaviour is proof that fish are far cleverer than they get credit for,” says Dr Tariel-Adam.
The researchers from Australia, Brazil and Caicos Islands have provided the first evidence of anvil use in several species of Halichoeres wrasses, suggest the behaviour is far more common than previously thought.
Wrasses use hard surfaces, also called ‘anvils,’ to crack open hard-shelled prey such as crabs and molluscs. Through a citizen science initiative Fish Tool Use , researchers gathered 16 new observations across five species of Halichoeres wrasses.
These findings mark the first evidence of anvil use for three species and the first video evidence for the other two, and extend the known range of anvil use to the western Atlantic.
“With these newly discovered tool-using species, it becomes clear that many species of wrasses use tools that we previously didn't know about,” said Dr Tariel-Adam.
Professor Culum Brown, head of the Fish Lab at Macquarie University and senior author of the study says the study adds to research into fish intelligence. “They demonstrate flexible and dexterous tool use, expanding our understanding of tool use evolution in the animal kingdom.”
View video footage: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEGR7FN3Lr-54JaQ3gURVCkGsvQ_mXwkH .
Read more, or contribute observations at https://fishtooluse.com .
Coral Reefs
Observational study
Animals
Tool use by New World Halichoeres wrasses
26-Mar-2025
The authors declare no conflicts.