Sense of Smell

I was researching baby fish and came across some interesting information about some that can smell their way home. The research was conducted on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Apparently, when many tropical fish are born, they are unable to swim well and are carried away from their home reef. The fish prefer the reef in which they were born. After the first few weeks of life, and being unable to swim, baby fish can be carried up to 20 miles from their home. By this time they are able to swim and use their sense of smell to find their way home again. Researchers of a few different articles that I found on the subject said that all reefs smell different from the last. I guess the fish can remember what their home smells like and are able to find where they were born by the way it physically smells. Pictured above is the "neon damselfish" which is not quite as picky. It can live on several different reefs but still remembers the smells and uses its nose to find a way home when currents carry it to open waters.