9 November 2003

Not talking out of rear

Herrings communicate with one another by emitting high-pitched sounds from their anuses, according to Canadian researchers.

Odd as this may seem, the team at the University of British Columbia that made the discovery insists it is true. 'It sounds just like a high-pitched raspberry,' said Ben Wilson, a member of the group.

Fish have long been known to communicate with potential mates by making grunting and buzzing sounds by wobbling their swim bladders - bags full of air that control buoyancy - but fishy flatulence adds a whole new dimension to their vocabulary.



This item might seriously influence my ideas on the fishy origin of certain techniques of political communication.

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