Stingrays and zebra mbuna fish can add and subtract, scientists say

Tests were carried out to ensure animals were not simply memorising patterns, Sam Hancock reports

Zebra mbuna fish, pictured, were less able than stingrays when it came to mathematics (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Scientists believe stingrays and zebra mbuna fish can do simple maths involving addition and subtraction of numbers between one and five.

It follows a study at the University of Bonn, in Germany, which concluded that some fish can tell the difference between higher and lower numbers – suggesting their numerical abilities are on par with those of other vertebrate and invertebrate species.

However, it was unclear whether fish could carry out mental tasks to add and subtract numbers from each other.