Following my report of the end of the world as we know it possibly coming this spring, I thought we deserved something in a lighter vein.
Now I really don't want readers to begin to think that I have some sort of schoolboy fascination for passing wind as I commented on elephants passing wind just a few days ago, but I really couldn't resist sharing this fascinating piece of scientific research just published which is guaranteed to put you off your breakfast kippers forever.
Scientist Ben Wilson of the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre in Vancouver and his British colleagues have discovered that herring make flatulent sounds at night and may be using them to talk to each other!
Apparently, researchers always knew herring have a heightened sense of hearing, (careful not to confuse my 'herring' with 'hearing'), but Wilson is looking into how herring squeeze bubbles out of swim bladders through an anal pore at night. The result is a strange warbling that resembles flatulence and Wilson and his team are trying to get to the bottom of why they do it. (Honestly, I didn't add that unintended pun, it really was in the report)!
The scientists go on to say it appears the fishy noises are playing a social role, (anti-social I would have said) as they tend to make it mostly in the company of others. (Definitely anti-social). Wilson also said the naughty noise could also be intended to keep predators away (I'm sure it would do) or could just be a side effect of staying buoyant. (What about it being a hitherto unknown propulsion system?)
The fish flatulence study on herring, mostly found in the waters of the northern hemisphere, appeared in the Web issue of the Royal Society's Biology Letters.
I wonder if all these herring passing wind also contribute to global warming?
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