Staring into the Abyss: A Fish’s Perspective

A fish's perspective

Over the weekend, I spent some time alone in a room with a big and well stocked fish tank. It was a quiet and peaceful experience, one that I enjoyed.

In watching the fish swim back and forth, dashing here and there, chasing each other and doing what fish do, I had a question: do the fish that live in such tanks ever swim to the edge the their world (the tank wall) and stare into the abyss that is the living room, kitchen, classroom or office lobby that houses their tank? Do those fish (especially any fish caught in the wild) wonder about the nature of their world (in the tank) as it relates to the world around it?

2 comments

  1. When I go to an aquarium, I definitely get a bit anxious or scared when a big fish or shark swims past the edge of the glass. And I’m on the outside of the tank.

    I wonder if little fish like the one in the sketch above get scared when people or dogs and the like — anything enormously bigger than they — approach the tank.

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