Goldfish Are Big Bach Fans

Scientists have discovered that not only do goldfish like to listen to Bach and Stravinsky, they can tell the difference between them.<br /><br />One of the toughest parts of caring for a pet goldfish is knowing how to make it happy.<br /><br />Scientists have just solved that problem, having discovered that the little fish like to listen to music - at least to Bach and Stravinsky. (1,title;2,2,1)<br /><br />According to the study’s author, the “goldfish could detect complex properties of sounds, such as pitch and timbre.”<br /><br />For the experiments, the fish were trained to nibble at a bead hanging on a string. <br /><br />Half of them were to chew on the bead when they heard Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. The other half were to do the same, but when Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was playing. <br /><br />As a group they scored a hundred percent on the task as well as in music appreciation, since they could tell the difference between the two composers. <br /><br />It’s believed that what they’re reacting to are the different styles of the 18th and 20th century pieces. <br /><br />Further, some showed a preference for one or the other, and reacted unfavorably when their favorite wasn’t playing. <br /><br />The results are especially impressive when it’s taken into account that goldfish have an infamously limited capacity for memory.