Tiny fish found to 'check its body size in the mirror before getting into fights'

This tropical fish may possess a sophisticated type of self-awareness only ever seen in humans

A bluestreak cleaner wrasse in a fish tank looking at its own reflection in the mirror. Very few animals are known to recognise themselves in the mirror, but scientists believe the small tropical fish may possess a more sophisticated type of self-awareness only ever seen in humans. Picture: Osaka Metropolitan University/PA Wire

Very few animals are known to recognise themselves in the mirror, but scientists believe a small tropical fish may possess a more sophisticated type of self-awareness only ever seen in humans.

Researchers have discovered that the bluestreak cleaner wrasse — which are about the size of a human finger — can not only recognise its own reflection but may also have an internal awareness of their own bodies.