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Biocommunication of Animals pp 299–320Cite as

Communication in the Ultraviolet: Unravelling the Secret Language of Fish

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Abstract

Ultraviolet vision is found in animals from across the animal kingdom including some mammals but excluding primates such as humans. Working under the assumption that what is conspicuous for us should also be conspicuous for other animals; scientists have often overlooked the role of UV vision in animal ecology. Indeed, despite the discovery of UV sensitivity well over a century ago, it has only been in the last 30 years that theoreticians and behavioural scientists have begun to interpret the world through the eyes of other animals, including the role UV light plays in signalling. Here, I discuss the conditions necessary for UV communication, focussing on its use in fish. I then go on to describe progress on the role UV plays in the language of fish.

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  1. SBMS, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Ulrike E. Siebeck

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Correspondence to Ulrike E. Siebeck .

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  1. Telos - Philosophische Praxis, Bürmoos, Austria

    Guenther Witzany

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Siebeck, U.E. (2014). Communication in the Ultraviolet: Unravelling the Secret Language of Fish. In: Witzany, G. (eds) Biocommunication of Animals. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7414-8_17

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