THE brawling Australian yabby will never walk away from a fight, even after a loss.
In fact, a new study shows it will immediately take on its conqueror for a rematch, proving it does not forget the face of a foe.
The study by University of Melbourne zoologists of more than 100 pairs of yabbies showed the species cherax destructor can remember and recognise the faces of individuals, specifically its opponents.
Professor David MacMillan, head of the university's Department of Zoology, said this was a remarkable capacity for the invertebrate species.
"This is an ability known in humans and some vertebrates but in only a handful of invertebrate species,'' Professor MacMillan said.
In the study, the loser yabby was given the choice of another stoush against its previous opponent or a new crayfish. The loser moved toward the opponent it recognised rather than the new rival, showing a capability of visual identity rather than just an acute sense of smell.
Professor MacMillan said understanding how simple nervous systems recognise features may contribute to developing feature recognition in robots.
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Obviously has an Australian background!!.......lol
