All Puffed Up

Humans think, for some reason, that we are the only ones who find ways to “charm” a perspective mate into going out with us. Well, we need to get a grip on ourselves, because capturing the attention of the opposite sex is kind of universal. In the animal kingdom, it is the male who works to entice the female, and not the opposite, as it is in the human world. In the human world the woman wears the makeup and fancy clothes.

I have never really been a scholar of the animal kingdom, but the other day, something caught my eye. Imagine trying to win your mate by enticing her with the prettiest picture you can make…and you only have a week to make it. This is a very big project, and you will need to work 24 hours a day, taking only a few moments break periodically. That part sounds crazy, but you see, if he doesn’t keep working 24/7, the current will destroy his masterpiece. Yes I said current. And after he is finished with his masterpiece, he has earned the right in my opinion to get all puffed up about his work of art.

In case you think I’m crazy, I am talking about the Japanese Puffer Fish. Oddly, this mathematically-minded fish has the ability to make amazing and very artistic circles…for lack of a better name for his version of art. This amazing little fish makes it’s masterpieces using only it’s fins as tools for his art. The fish uses the decorative items, like seashells and stones, he finds on the sea floor to decorate the edges of his masterpiece. The Japanese Puffer Fish is the only instance of a fish or an animal making something so intricate to attract a mate, but then maybe that is out of necessity too. The Japanese Puffer Fish is really rather plane looking, and in fact might be able to look invisible on the sea floor. Of course, when it puffs up, it’s color comes out. Many fish in the sea are beautiful colors, but not this little guy. So, he has to find a different way to attract his girl. Well, lets just say, that looks aren’t everything. The Japanese Puffer Fish works very hard to make something absolutely beautiful for his mate, and that is much more important than being the most beautiful fish in the sea. Maybe when they said, “There are other fish in the sea,” they were thinking about the Japanese Puffer Fish. I think this little guy might just be the best choice in the long run…for a female Japanese Puffer Fish anyway.