Why is it in the news?

• Three new fish species have been observed using tools in the Laccadive Sea.

More about the news

• Jansen’s wrasse (Thalassoma jansenii) and the checkerboard wrasse (Halichoeres hortulanus) had not previously been observed using tools. This is the first documented instance of the moon wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) using tools in the wild.
• All three species utilize live or dead coral structures as anvils to break sea urchin shells to access edible parts.
• Instances of chimpanzees using straws for drawing water and crows fashioning leaves to extract insects from crevices are well known. However, reports of aquatic animals using tools are less common due to challenges in observation and the perception of fish as ‘less intelligent’.

(Clockwise from top left) A checkerboard wrasse at Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep, using the reef platform as an anvil to break the sea urchin’s test and prey on it.