Turns out you can train a shark to like jazz.
Researchers at Australia's Macquarie University have shown that the animal has a more discerning taste in music than you'd anticipate.
SEE ALSO:MIT created this imposter robot fish to spy on sea creaturesThe study, published in Animal Cognition, shows that baby Port Jackson sharks can learn to associate music with food. If played jazz, the sharks would swim over to a feeding station to receive their delicious reward.
"Sound is really important for aquatic animals, it travels well under water and fish use it to find food, hiding places and even to communicate," Catarina Vila-Pouca, the study's lead author, said in a statement online.
Very little is known about the ability of elasmobranchs -- that's sharks, rays and skates -- and their ability to distinguish between sounds. Some anecdotal reports suggest that sharks are attracted to the sound of boat engines, associating it with food, much like Pavlov's Dog.
While five out of the eight sharks in the study were able to identify the sound of jazz, it's much more difficult trying to get them to discern between classical and jazz music.
The researchers used the two genres of music to tell the sharks to swim to opposite corners of the tank, but it merely just confused them.
"It was obvious that the sharks knew that they had to do something when the classical music was played, but they couldn’t figure out that they had to go to a different location," Culum Brown, an associate professor at the university, added.
"The task is harder than it sounds, because the sharks had to learn that different locations were associated with a particular genre of music, which was then paired with a food reward. Perhaps with more training they would have figured it out."
At the very least, the study helps to change the perception of the learning abilities of the humble shark.
TopicsAnimalsMusic
(责任编辑：百科)
Plane makes emergency landing after engine rips apart during flight
How to be cool: Advice from a cool guy
Miley Cyrus opens up about Liam Hemsworth in lengthy Twitter thread
Mini Cooper is now electric and just as cuteAustralian football makes history with first LGBT Pride GameOne of the first Apple computers ever made is currently up for auction.A rare "Celebration" Apple-1
...[详细]Desperate farmer destroys rare Lion King toy on live TV to make a point about online bullying
On Friday morning, Australian time, a farmer went on live TV and took a pair of kitchen scissors to
...[详细]Channing Tatum cannot handle astrology, but he's got good advice
This Channing Tatum video has everything: a full range of emotions, a cautionary tale about data sha
...[详细]Less than 1 percent of Huawei P30 Pro parts come from the U.S.
It's no secret that Huawei's in big trouble given its recent placement on the U.S. entity list, whic
...[详细]Airbnb activates disaster response site for Louisiana flooding
Airbnb has activated its disaster response page following the record-breaking flooding in Louisiana.
...[详细]You can now add GIFs to your TikToks thanks to Giphy
TikTok's meteoric rise to popularity showcases the internet's more clever video editing. And now, th
...[详细]Lady Gaga tickets inspired the sweetest response from this grandpa
Every so often, a ray of light shines through to illuminate our dark world. This is one of those tim
...[详细]You can now use Google Assistant to bug your housemates to do their chores
Imagine you're going about your day when a notification pops up on your phone: "From [roommate's nam
...[详细]Major earthquake and multiple aftershocks rock central Italy
UPDATE: Aug. 25, 2016, 8:22 a.m. BST 。 Death toll is now at least 247 dead: 190 in Rieti province and
...[详细]Pixar's 'Soul': Story, art, and cast revealed at D23
The studio behind Inside Outand Toy Story 4is ready to get existential again. At D23 Saturday, Pixar
...[详细]This chart shows just how high Simone Biles can jump
Lil Nas X accidentally blocks breakfast show camera, charmingly styles it out
