Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Fish Brains

Gunnar has a fish.  A goldfish named Jack.  Of course, Gunnar thinks his goldfish is smart.  In fact, all three boys insist that Jack begs for food.

Now, think for a moment...  how big could a goldfish's brain be?  As big as the head of a pin?  Maybe?

I suppose he must have enough brain power to think about something, because he avoids the Green Net of Doom when I clean his bowl every month week.

But guys, really.  He's not a puppy, he's a fish.  A tiny, 10 cent feeder-fish.  He can't possibly have the mental capacity to predict that you will feed him and beg.



But I've been watching him.  And I think they're right.

He's watching.

He follows me around his bowl.  Begging.

Feed me, Seymour.



3 comments:

Kristen@nosmallthing said...

I lOVE that picture...did you take that?!

I totally believe they can beg. I had a brackish fish once...a little spotted puffer. He was awesome. I called him puffy. :) So original, I know (and I was in college when I had said fish). Anyway, when I would come into the room, he would swim over to the side of the tank and go up and down and I swear he would smile. :) He was awesome.

leah said...

Now its time to teach him some tricks! I'm not kidding: http://www.fish-school.com/

I do seem to remember that you can train fish to come to a certain side of the tank at feeding time- a sort of Pavlovian response.

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Did NOT take the pic... I wish. Found it googling "images goldfish" :0)

Oh my - FISH SCHOOL! (And it's a pun, too!) Sounds like a homeschool science project to me.