Richard Collins: Are fish part of the exclusive self-consciousness club?

It seems that these riff-raff cleaner fish will have to be admitted to our snooty self-consciousness club after all. Is nothing sacred?

A team placed marks on the throats of captive cleaner fish. On seeing themselves in mirrors, three out of the four of the fish began rubbing their throats against rough surfaces. Picture: iStock

A paper published in 2017 caused a stir. Its authors argued that some fish are self-aware, an unlikely claim as only humans and chimpanzees are fully accredited members of the exclusive self-consciousness club. 

There is evidence, however, that other great apes, dolphins, elephants and crows are also worthy of inclusion. While some experts accept that these creatures meet the club’s strict entry requirements and deserve at least associate membership, others don’t. The suggestion that a mere fish should be admitted was too much for them to stomach.