Fishy Behaviour

If we look carefully at the human race, our behaviour can be quite often reflected in the animal kingdom. In fact, some human behaviour are so atrocious that it can be worse than animals. Such animosity resides in us because it is in the nature of Man. The only difference is that Man is supposed to be superior because we have a mind that can control things and behaviour through thought processes and is capable of feeling and therefore can decide to curb the animal instinct inside of us such as what we think, say or do. 

We can never swing from tree to tree like an ape, leap high like a gazelle, sprint like a cheetah, ram like a rhinoceros, swallow like a hippopotamus, kick like a zebra, kill like a tiger, hunt like a lion or scavenge like a hyena. We don't even know why an elephant ran up a hill only to realise later that a tsunami is coming. In other words, our minds are superior to all other strengths and instincts.

If one does not train his mind to be the centre of control, to think, to solve problems, to endure, to tolerate, to motivate, to inspire, to lead then we can effectively be worse than animals since we can't compare to their strengths and instincts. We can't even buzz like a blue-arsed fly nor hop as far like a grasshopper. In other words, when our mind is not in front or in the centre of all things, we become abject failures no matter how smart you think you are.

Fish behaviour has similar human traits about them. For example from the Bichir species, this Endi, an ancient dragon is largely peaceful and a bottom dweller. It will leave other fish alone.

Its own defence mechanism is in its armour. Its dorsal fin is like a spiked armour probably so it won't be so easily swallowed by other bigger, more aggressive fish. Like a deterrent against aggression. Unfortunately, we humans do not have such fins to prevent us from being swallowed and if you happened to be a shark, you will get hauled up, your fins chopped off and thrown back to the sea and left for dead.

The Gar here is another peaceful bottom dweller. It is a slow hunter that follows its "live" food patiently and though he may miss its opportunity one or more times, it will stalk stealthily before finally striking its target. When fed with live food, the fish will sh*t more, so one can actually and patiently try to wean them off live food to prawns from the refrigerator or to eventually pellets.

They can really go a week or two without food to my astonishment.

Different species originating from different parts of the world and with different temperament yet they could co-exist in peace and harmony. Can humans do the same despite being from a different culture, having different religious beliefs?

Again, it is the mind that is the problem. A superior mind is suppose to elevate us but a negative mind creates hell for one another. In this respect, some fish species is superior to us.

But then there are times they may not like certain species when introduced to their environment. Here's looking at you kid. Ugly is beautiful in its own way.

Its cousin, the alligator gar is a monster but this gar has a toned and strong body and sleek beak.

The Peacock Bass has its largest cousin in the Cichla Temensis which is known for its violent behaviour and awesome tackle-busting power and is a favourite for avid fisherman to the Amazon. It is a top predator considered by many to be the most powerful freshwater game fish. It doesn't grow too fast may be it was not eating enough.

But not all big names are to be feared. Some are living in their past reputation. Because when a Sea Bass was introduced into the tank where the Peacock Bass rules, despite its slightly smaller size, the Sea Bass was attacking the Peacock Bass.

Then having not seen it for awhile, it suddenly shot up in size with a bigger head and mouth. Will it fight with the snake head?

Snake heads have a long dorsal fin, large mouth and sharp teeth. There are known to be be over 30 species. They can grow up to 2-3 feet. The most aggressive snake head is the Giant Snake head or Channa Micropeltes. They have been know to survive on land for up to four days provided they are wet and can migrate a quarter mile by wriggling on wet land to other water bodies. In Malay, it is simply called toman.

Although they were not fighting, the snake head has been hitting out at the Red-Tailed Catfish which by nature is a bottom eater. Just like people, though this picture showed an innocent toman face, do not be fooled.

It is a voracious eater. Some States in the USA banned the snake head. I think it was in Maryland in the USA where snake heads were released by Asian immigrants to the ponds and rivers. They went on to eat everything and jumped out and walked on land to another water body and started their eating frenzy again.

Fresh water fisherman loves to fish for snake heads. Asians believe they have healing properties. The Peacock Bass is known to feed on baby toman but not when the adult snake heads are close by.

The toman is aggressive and very fast and greedy. As the local snake head, it paced a newly introduced knife fish of the same size or slightly bigger. The knife fish avoided confrontation and swam away but the toman will follow at times and when near enough, suddenly without warning, the toman attacked the knife fish on its body, dorsal fin and tail.

Then one day, the toman was sick. One of it's eyes, skin, tail and fins were affected. When a fish is unwell, it hides and stays in one corner like humans who relax one corner when tired. Now it was time for revenge! The knife fish could taste blood and would give the same medicine to the toman, biting it on the body, fins and tail. Are these human traits too or human have fish traits? 

While it has attack many other fish, it pleasantly behaved so well with a smaller cichlid. It cannot be explained. Is it because of personal chemistry? I beg for an answer.

There you have it, somehow the best buddies. It took me sometime to get them to pose like that. The toman even allowed the small one to bite and nudge it at times without retaliation. Some people can just get along while others can't.

So are you a toman? When the toman was unwell and the knife fish was having a go at it, the smaller cichlid was trying to protect the toman.

May be this is why they are good friends or simply because they have lived together longer, knew each other better or deal with the common enemy first?

Humans are slightly luckier than fish. In those Ocean Worlds that entertain holiday-makers, slow learners may have ended up as seafood! Here, they may just end up in a nearby canal or pond.

Every time I visited the estate pond, I found an increasing variety of fish. It was originally supposed to be a Koi pond. Then I spotted a couple of Oscars. 

Some kois are still around but it seems that if they die there'll be no replacements. Mmmm..., sounds like job situation during a recession.

I saw a big Pacu. 

There are many cichlids now. 

Even a baby snake head. This pond is now like Singapore due to immigration of more PRs and new citizens. Can they live happily ever after?

Above the surface, all tranquillity. 

We humans too have fishy behaviour. Do you behave like one? Or are you one with a good mind of your own far superior than what's in the animal kingdom? What the fish!