Do fish have a sense of smell and can they hear?

Question

I'm staying with a friend who has aquarium fish and I'd like to know more about them.

Answer 1

Most fish have an exceptional sense of smell. Many fish have barbels near their mouths (whiskers) which are used to feel around in murky or dark waters, but also detects scent and taste. Sharks are some of the most notorious fish with regards to smell, claimed to smell blood from miles away...

Fish don't exactly hear noises, but they do sense noises. Noise is caused by molecules vibrating. Air, being the most loosely organized, does not transmit sound as well as solid objects do. Liquids are in between gas and solids as far as transmitting vibrations. Fish have a system of fluid filled cells along their body (the lateral line) that is extremely sensitive to vibrations (vibrations=sound). So, in a sense, fish "feel" sound instead of hearing it. Most fish also have a network of canals and small bones in their heads that detect vibrations as well.

Soop Nazi

Answer 2

Hi dogsforever-they have an excellent sense of smell & hearing, a lot more finely tuned than ours is-similar perhaps to the way a dog can 'see' sound & smell. I see how good they are when I drop some bloodworms in the current. sometimes they get caught on a plant & remain out of sight my fish zero in like rockets because the scent is carried to them by the current!

Someone mentioned above how they feed just as well without the lights on. I have a 40 gallon tank so it's pretty dark at the back when the lights are off, especially on a dull day but when I drop a 'snowstorm' of brine shrimp in for my Goldies they clear the lot up just as quickly as if the lights were on using their smell as well as sight.

Hearing is something they 'feel' rather than hear-much like you can feel the bass coming out of a speaker as well as hear it. Water is an excellent conductor of sound & this is why you have to be careful to site the tanks away from a lot of passing traffic & not tap on the glass. I've had my fish nearly 3 years now & I'm still learning things & seeing them do new stuff almost daily.

Answer 3

Some species depend on their sense of smell, such as the catfish. Others depend on their sight and the ability to pick up vibrations in the water- they can not hear in the same fashion that we can, but they are aware of noise because it translates into vibration in the water. I once caught a bowfin with a spinner bait that weighed about 2 lbs and was perfectly healthy, except for the fact that it had no eyes and there was not even a spot for the eye sockets- he was born blind, but evidently had no problem feeding by picking up on vibrations in the water as the bait fish swam around. I would say that due to the clarity of the salt water, the fish rely mostly on sight and to a lesser degree the vibrations of the swimming bait fish- however in the murky muddy waters of some of these Louisiana bayous , I would say they rely more on picking up the vibrations then sight. but I am certain it is a combination of the two. Good luck and good fishing!

Answer 4

They most definately do have a sence of smell. In fact some fish do not see very well (as in the telescopic eye goldfish) and rely on being able sniff out their food. You can feed a fish with the lights off in pitch black darkenss and it will still find it's food.

As for being able to hear I am not sure. It got me thinking! I know that they are sensitive to loud noises, but I suspect this is to do with vibrations in the water. My fish certainly don't hide until I play my Gun's'Roses loud ROFLMAO. Perhaps they just have a different taste in music.......

Answer 5

Fish definitely have a sense of smell. That is their primary way of finding food. Can they hear? Well, they can sense vibrations, which is a form of hearing, I guess, but I don't recall ever seeing a fish with ears, external or internal.

Answer 6

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RE:
Do fish have a sense of smell and can they hear?
I'm staying with a friend who has aquarium fish and I'd like to know more about them.

Answer 7

They have many senses. They have a sixth sense, where they use there lateral line to detect objects and there surroundings, and feel vibrations. Fish are amazing creatures. They are worth learning about. I know they have senses similar to ours, but they have their differences...of course.......

Answer 8

I,m not sure if they can smell as far as can they hear, not sure I think it,s more vibrations than anything else