An Israeli study found that goldfish can drive a car on land

A team of Israeli researchers has concluded that goldfish are capable of driving a wheeled vehicle on dry land The study of the ability of species to adapt and orient themselves in a terrestrial environment.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev desert created a A device that allows goldfish to move on land while swimming in an aquarium placed on top of a motorized cart (see video below).

An Israeli study found that goldfish can drive a car on land

The study was published in the journal Behavioral Brain Research.

The researchers installed cameras to track the fish’s movement and linked them to a computer that steered the vehicle. (see pictures below).

When the fish went to the front or sides of the aquarium, the car moved in the same direction; When the fish is at the rear, the car remains stationary.

A goldfish sails on dry land controlling a vehicle developed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University in Israel on January 6, 2022 – Photo: Ronen Zevulun/Reuters

To complete the study, Israeli scientists set a goal. When the fish managed to steer the car to the target, it received 0.002 grams of food pellets in its aquarium as a reward..

And after a few days the fish managed to reach the target without getting lost, according to the study, “regardless of the starting point” and “avoiding blocked streets.”

The research concludes that Goldfish have “the ability to transfer spatial representation and navigation capabilities to a terrestrial environment very different from their own”.

The study was publicly funded, and its authors say it followed Israeli protocol for respecting animals.

A researcher adjusts a ‘car’ driven by a goldfish at Ben-Gurion University in Israel on January 6, 2022 – Photo: Ronen Zevulun