Comet the Performing Goldfish

The fish that plays football and limbo dances

By Katie Franklin and agencies

Last updated: 9:00 PM BST 06/05/2008

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but apparently you can teach a two-year-old goldfish to bend it like Beckham.

Comet the goldfish may be the world's most intelligent fish after its owner, Dean Pomerleau, trained it to perform a range of aquatic activities.

Comet can play football, basketball and even limbo dance under a bar.

The genius of the water world can also play fetch with a hoop, slalom around a series of poles and push a rugby ball over a set of posts.

Dr Pomerleau, 41, from Los Angeles, used a training technique called positive reinforcement to train Comet to perform the tricks.

This involves rewarding the fish with food when it successfully completes a task.

Dr Pomerleau insisted there was nothing fishy about his claim, saying anyone can teach their pet to perform similar tricks.

"There is mounting evidence that fish are more intelligent than people give them credit for," the fish training expert said.

"With the correct tools and the basic promise of a food reward, fish can very quickly learn complex tricks - like the limbo, slalom or playing fetch.

"Now people in the market for a dog might want to consider a fish instead."

Dr Pomerleau already holds the official world record for having the fish with the largest repertoire of tricks, with a three year-old calico fantail named Albert Einstein.

But four-inch long Comet has already learned Albert's array of tricks and is set to take the crown of the world's most intelligent goldfish.