Everyday Biophilia

The evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould once suggested that observant aquarium owners might very well know as much if not more about the behavior of tropical fish than do  ichthyologists. Indeed, if you have ever owned an aquarium and have wiled away a few pleasant hours watching your fishy tenants go about their fishy business, then you likely understand how right Gould probably was. Among people who keep aquaria, it is no secret that fish exhibit individual personalities, forge useful alliances, and engage in the occasional round of fisticuffs. They also exhibit feats of intelligence that go well beyond what their traditional reputation might warrant. Toward the end of my undergraduate days, I was fortunate enough to spend a few months babysitting a 20 gallon aquarium that was home to an eight-inch tiger oscar ( Astronotus ocellatus ) and a five-inch bristlenose plecostomus ( Ancistrus dolichopterus ). One of my favorite things was to shut off all the lights in my bedroom, ...