When it comes to male mollies (Poecilia Mexicana), they’re anything but dumb. These fish have surprised scientists by showing that, when competition is nearby, they will actually court a female different from the one they’re interested in so that other males leave the one they’re truly after alone.

In a report for Current Biology, Martin Plath and his colleagues determined that this fish has a simple reason for its behavior: other males will copy the decision they make.  “It’s very interesting that a fish could be capable of such sophisticated conduct”, said Plath who is a scientist at the University of Potsdam in Germany and Oklahoma in the United States. We now see traits we thought were exclusive to humans in small animals. This also proves that you don’t need the use of a conscience to engage in deceitful behavior.