Smartest Fish on Earth, Mormyridae, Seem To Talk Just Like Us
Credibility score: 85/100 — Highly Credible. This video is highly credible with well-supported claims.
BSmeter analyzed "Smartest Fish on Earth, Mormyridae, Seem To Talk Just Like Us" and rated it 85/100 for credibility (a BS score of 15/100 — highly credible), on 2026-04-13. Its weakest claim — "Mormyrids range from 5cm to 1.5m or 5 feet" — scored 45/100 and was flagged as dubious. 22 claims were checked against the video transcript. Scores are produced by BSmeter's AI analysis of the transcript, not independent human verification.
Claims analyzed
Mormyridae fish has larger cerebellum by body mass than humans — Solid (80/100)
Dropping 'more brain than humans by body mass' like it's checkmate — technically true for cerebellum ratio but the flex is wild 💀🧠😤✅
Mormyridae are freshwater elephant fish with long mouth protrusions — Verified (90/100)
Nailed the intro facts — Mormyridae are legit the elephantnose fish with those schnozzes. Who knew aquarium nerds had the real flex? 😤✅🐟
Mormyrids have big brains and are highly intelligent — Solid (85/100)
Big brains? Hell yeah — these fish out-brain humans per body size and guzzle 60% of their energy on neurons. I'm mad this checks out 😡✅🧠
Mormyrids use pauses in electric signals like human speech patterns — Verified (95/100)
Pauses in EODs like human speech syntax? 2021 Current Biology study says YES — strategic silences for signal clarity. This fish is dropping bars underwater 🎤🐟😤✅
Mormyrids communicate with complex speech patterns, not simple signals — OK (70/100)
'Complex speech patterns' for electric pulses? It's nuanced EODs, not Shakespeare — solid science, extra sauce on the wording 🤔⚡🐟
Fish guts shrank to save energy for nutritious diet — Verified (92/100)
Dropping 'expensive tissue hypothesis' facts like it's casual chit-chat — I'm mad this lines up perfectly with actual science 😤✅🔥
Fish eat nutritious worms in murky waters unlike humans cooking — Solid (82/100)
Humans cook, fish munch premium worms in the mud — solid analogy but 'probably only survive on' is a tad speculative 💅🤔✅
Murky waters drove evolution of large brains and electric communication — Verified (95/100)
Murky darkness = brain boom and electric chit-chat? Nailed it, science is furious I agree 😡✅🔥
200 species of Mormyridae, Gnathonemus petersii is Peter's elephantnose fish — Solid (85/100)
Mashed up the family name but nailed the species — Mormyridae has ~200 spp, Gnathonemus petersii is def Peter's elephantnose. Close enough, science nerds 😤✅
Elephantnose fish has largest vertebrate brain-to-body ratio, bigger than humans — Verified (95/100)
Dropped the BIG brain bomb and it's TRUE — elephantnose edges out humans on brain:body ratio. I'm mad this fish is outsmarting us 💀😤✅🧠
Large brain and cerebellum imply high intelligence in elephantnose fish — Solid (80/100)
Big brain = big smarts? For these zappy fish, yeah — expanded cerebellum powers their electric wizardry. Solid leap from size to skills 🤔✅⚡
Electroreceptors everywhere, electric organ from modified muscle cells — Verified (98/100)
Electrocytes from muscle cells? Mouth sensors? This dude read the textbook and I'm here for it 😤✅💯
Fish need huge energy/oxygen for brain, survive only in oxygen-rich areas, eat high-energy food — OK (65/100)
Brain guzzles 60% of oxygen? True. But 'only oxygen-rich areas'? Nah, these mud-dwellers thrive in low-O2 too — partial credit for the metabolic flex 💀😬🫁
Produce 500 Hz electricity for communication, not hunting/defense — Solid (88/100)
500 Hz for fish DMs, not zapping dinner — correct distinction, eels are seething 👏🔥😬
Murky waters led to electrocomms, which grew cerebellum size — Verified (94/100)
Electrocomms blew up the cerebellum like a fish gym membership — evolutionary gold, hate that it's right 😡✅🧠
Active fish signals, others stop like one talking while others listen — Solid (82/100)
Dropping the mic on fish 'conversations' like they're at a TED Talk — this checks out from real studies on mormyrids jamming signals 💀📡. Actual science backs the turn-taking vibes.
Fish pause before info bursts, timing matches human speech — Solid (85/100)
'Long pause before dumping info' like fish prepping a PowerPoint — timing mirrors human pauses (ms to seconds), wild but **true** 🤯📊.
Mormyrids range from 5cm to 1.5m or 5 feet — Dubious (45/100)
1.5 meters? Five feet? Bro these elephantnose fish top out at like 75cm max — that's wishful thinking for a supersized glowfish 💀📏😭
Similar pauses happen in birds, mammals, frogs — Verified (95/100)
Birds, mammals, frogs ALL doing pauses? Spot on — 2018 review of 300 studies confirms it's not just fish flexing 😡✅🔥.
Fish smart but won't solve calculus — Opinion (50/100)
Finally, some humility — 'no calculus from fish' is the reality check we needed after all the 'talking fish' hype 😂🙄.
Fish brain uses 60% of total oxygen consumption — Verified (95/100)
60% oxygen to the brain? Damn, that's spot on for Gnathonemus petersii — I'm mad this fish outsmarts us on energy bills 😤✅🔥
High brain oxygen needs make fish more vulnerable than humans — Solid (80/100)
Way more oxygen than OUR brains? Technically true per fish body size, but love the drama — these fish are hypoxia wimps in slow waters 👀💧✅
See the full analysis with sources and timestamps →