One of my fish likes to play dead.  He’s an algae eater, and occasionally sits at the bottom, his body swaying and his eyes glazed over, for all the world like a fish that’s beginning to rot.

As a strategy, playing dead can have life-saving advantages.  Just look at a few aggression triggers:

• Competition for resources — dead things don’t eat or drink.
• Percieved as a threat to Top Dog/Leader — Uhh, kind hard to threaten someone when you’re dead.
• You might have been dinner — Many animals won’t eat something that’s dead.

But there are lots of carrion eaters out there, so what seems a good idea on the surface may not stand (excuse the pun) on closer examination.

Plus, there’s the fish tank problem.  He plays dead too well.  I’m likely to realize my mistake just as he’s flushed away.