Interactions

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water, and tripped over something that you didn't know was there because of the dark? Now imagine trying to get this glass of water with absolutely no eyesight, and no sense of where you were at anytime. This is what the Astyanax jordani goes through every day of its entire life. Fortunately for them, they have adapted in ways that allows them to know their surroundings, and allows them to interact with organisms it comes into contact with.

One major way this blind critter know what's going on around them is by using their lateral line to detect changes in water pressure around them. A lateral line is a sensory organ made up of neuromasts running along the head of the fish. These are used to detect movement and vibration in the water around them. This system allows this species to actively navigate and find food. When placed into an unknown environment it will increase its swimming speed to increase the amount of lateral line stimulation, which ultimately allows them to become familiar with its surroundings faster.
It has been recently found that these fish produce an intricate spatial map of its environment, which it memorizes very quickly. This process is known as hydrodynamic imaging (Mapoflife.org).

Although this fish doesn't have very many competitive or parasitic symbioses associated with it, it does interact with other Blind Cavefish by living in small schools together.

 

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