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Athletics Arts & Culture Campus & Community People Research
Research

How Well Do Fish See Color?

Biologists Study Cichlid Visual Perception and Behavior

UMD biology researchers and students are working with cichlids—among the most common and colorful freshwater fishes—to determine the limit of their ability to distinguish subtle color differences, and how it affects mating and other behavior. The fish have marvelously complex visual systems, with more than twice as many visual pigment genes as humans.

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