Your Goldfish's Memory Lasts Longer Than 3 Seconds, and Other Facts About The Popular Pet - Fishy Business (2024)

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Your Goldfish's Memory Lasts Longer Than 3 Seconds, and Other Facts About The Popular Pet - Fishy Business? ›

It is the age old myth of believing that goldfish only have the memory span of 3 seconds long. With further research and experiments we now know that goldfish have a memory that last at least 5 months.

Perhaps that's why fish seem to have been underestimated in terms of their cognitive and learning abilities, and capacity for sentience. The most well-known 'fact' about the cognitive ability of fish is that our childhood pet goldfish has a three-second memory – a total myth that has been debunked many times.

Though they're beloved by many as household pets, goldfish (Carassius auratus) are known for having a memory that lasts just three seconds. Yet despite that forgetful reputation, scientists have known for decades that such claims don't hold up to scrutiny.

However, my initial research showed that not only did goldfish learn quickly, but their memory was certainly longer than three seconds. My second-year experiment confirmed that goldfish can learn quickly, and showed that goldfish can recall memories for at least one month.

Saying someone has the memory of a goldfish is fairly common and everyone knows what it means. A memory that only spans three seconds sounds like a nightmare to live with (even for a fish!), and as it turns out, this mild and very common insult is factually unfounded.

Despite differences in brain size and form, fish have been scientifically proven to have memories lasting months, perhaps even years, as well as the ability to recognise and consciously avoid pain and danger, seek out reward, navigate mazes, and even use tools.

The new research shows that dolphins have the longest memory yet known in any species other than people. Elephants and chimpanzees are thought to have similar abilities, but they haven't yet been tested, said study author Jason Bruck, an animal behaviorist at the University of Chicago.

Fish were trained on a position discrimination task for 2 consecutive days. The door used for training was that opposite to each fish's spontaneous preference. Savings in relearning on Day 2 was taken as a measure of long term memory strength.

Elephant has worst shortest memory and dolphin has longest memory in the Animal kingdom.

Red Sea clownfish can recognize their mate after 30 days separation. A number of studies have shown that fish can retain information for months or years. Anecdotally, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) can remember the human voice call announcing food five years after last hearing that call.

How long is a dog's memory? ›

Your dog might not remember the details of the things you do together, and they likely don't recall the specifics of puppyhood. In fact, your dog might have forgotten they saw you leave the house; they have a short-term memory of about two minutes. But fear not; the associations they build can last a lifetime.

Researchers find that wild cleaner fishes can remember being caught up to 11 months after the fact, and actively try to avoid getting caught again.

Goldfish have a lifespan averaging about 10 to 15 years, with some varieties living up to 30 years when provided with proper care. Unfortunately, many goldfish do not reach their lifespan potential due to inadequate care.

Goldfish are known for their orange hues and terrible memories. One common saying even claims that these creatures have a mere 3-second recall. However, this is a complete myth that, despite its lack of scientific backing, has spread widely and remained largely undisputed by the public for decades.

Answer: Most goldfish keepers will have heard the “fact” that goldfish memory spans are just three seconds long — but is it true? Scientists have proven that goldfish memory spans are nowhere near as short as three seconds. Your goldfish can actually remember things for at least five months.

This idea closely matches a concept called goldfish memory syndrome, in which a person easily loses their thoughts and forgets things. Nevertheless, this expression still lives on, even though the studies presented in this post suggest that it's a myth.

Chimpanzees, at around 20 seconds, are worse than rats at remembering things, while the memory spans of three other primates—baboons, pig-tailed macaques, and squirrel monkeys—exceeded only bees (the sole study participant that wasn't either a mammal or a bird).

Scientists have proved goldfish do have good memories and are able to navigate their surroundings.

A very poor memory. Wiktionary.