What is schooling and shoaling in fish?
Q: What is schooling and shoaling in fish?
A: Schooling and shoaling is a kind of collective animal behaviour by fish where a group of fish stay together for social reasons, and if they swim in the same direction, it is called schooling.
Q: What are the benefits of shoaling for fish?
A: Fish get many benefits from shoaling including defence against predators, finding food and mates, swimming faster than a lone fish, and recognizing kin.
Q: How many fish shoal all their lives?
A: About one quarter of fish shoal all their lives.
Q: How many fish shoal for part of their lives?
A: About one half of fish shoal for part of their lives.
Q: What kind of shoalmates do fish prefer?
A: Fish generally prefer larger shoals, shoalmates of their own species, shoalmates similar in size and appearance to themselves, healthy fish, and kin (when recognized).
Q: What is the oddity effect in fish shoaling?
A: The oddity effect is when any shoal member which stands out in appearance may be targeted by predators. This may explain why fish prefer to shoal with individuals that resemble themselves.
Q: How does shoaling benefit fish in terms of predator defence?
A: If fish swim in schools, it is less likely any one of them will be eaten, providing defence against predators.
