A novel fish behavior: “Floating” of Paramisgurnus dabryanus loaches

Abstract Unusual behavior has been noted in Paramisgurnus dabryanus loaches, which have been seen to float on the water, both on aquafarms and laboratories. Animal behavior usually reflects adaptation to the environment, but this “floating” behavior undoubtedly increases the risk of being predated. In order to understand the ecological significance, we first studied the basic characteristics of this behavior. The floating loaches showed five typical characteristics: (1) They floated more at night than during the day, (2) They mainly floated for a short time (