WTFish?: The Pandas Are Coming, The Pandas Are Coming!!! by DRAS Member Derek P.S. Tustin ometimes it is interesting living in the Greater Toronto Area, isn’t it? S Recently deemed to be the fourth largest city in North America (leaping past Chicago by 84,000 people) behind Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles, we truly are a world class city. (Interestingly enough, the Greater Toronto Area, that being the recognized metropolitan area of the city and those living in the immediate suburbs, is actually the 51st largest metropolitan area in the world with 6,139,000 people. Tokyo is first with 37,126,000 and Chicago is 28th, with 9,121,000(1). So we still have some catching up to do...) And since I seem to be heading off on tangents today, have you ever considered what makes a city “world class”? According to some, it is a “city generally considered to be an important node in the global economic system.”(2) Given Toronto’s impact on the national economy, and the subsequent influence within the international economic community, it can easily be argued that Toronto is such a city. But there are also cultural factors that come into play. Toronto is blessed with many such attractions, but the one that stands out in my mind is the Toronto Zoo. Sometimes I think we all take for granted what a wonderful facility we have right next door. The Toronto Zoo is consistently ranked as one of the top ten zoos in the world (3, 4, 5), and acknowledged as being one of the largest zoos in the world (6). The Durham Region Aquarium Society is lucky to have forged such a truly unique and symbiotic relationship with them. Our annual dinner has been held there a number of years and several of our current members (Tom Mason, Tim McCaskie, Sonia Hojka, Stephanie Symonds, and Doug Chessell to name only a few) work or have worked there. I can’t speak for the rest of you, but knowing these talented individuals (and maybe because of a small degree of jealousy for the interesting jobs they have or have had) makes me very alert to news surrounding the Toronto Zoo. But even without that sensitivity, the recent news of the impending arrival of the Giant Pandas from Chengdu, China has been flooding the media. So, how does the arrival of Giant Pandas relate to aquarium fish and us as hobbyists? Well, as I think you all know by now, I occasionally get to thinking and wondering about things. We often find fish or other aquatic creatures that are given common names after (usually) larger animals that they in some way resemble. But what are some of them? The knowledge is there, but we might not recall several… Tank Talk – March 2013 / Volume 40, Number 07 Page 6 So let’s pretend to take a look around the Toronto Zoo. If we were to take a stroll through African Rainforest and African Savanna sections, and just peeked in at the animals, what we see might remind us, in name if not in appearance, of the following freshwater species that some of us have kept in the past; ELEPHANT Elephant Nose Fish (Gnathonemus petersii) (Mormyrid from west and Central Africa) (Actually kept at the Toronto Zoo in the African Rainforest Pavilion) GIRAFFE Giraffe Hap (Nimbochromis venustus) (Lake Malawi cichlid that has similar body markings) (Does not have a long neck ;D) LEOPARD Leopard Climbing Perch (Ctenopoma acutirostre) (Anabantid from Africa) (Actually kept at the Toronto Zoo in the African Rainforest Pavilion) PENGUIN Penguin Tetra (Thayeria boehlkei) (Tetra from the Amazon Basin) RHINOCEROS Rhino Pleco (Pterygoplichthys scrophus) (Also known as the Alligator or Chocolate Pleco) (Native to the Amazon Basin) ZEBRA Zebra Danio (Danio rerio) (Popular aquarium fish native to the southeastern Himalayan region) (Striking striped pattern) Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) (Small freshwater mussel native to southern Russia) (Striped pattern on their shell) (Invasive species in the Great Lakes since 1988) Zebra Oto (Otocinclus cocama) (Also known as the Tiger Oto) (Native to Peru) Zebra Pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) (Rarely seen fish that has a beautiful black and white striped pattern) (See the article The Amazing Zebra Pleco by Doug White & Derek Tustin in the April 2011 edition of Tank Talk) Okay, so let’s take a stroll over to the Americas… ALLIGATOR Tank Talk – March 2013 / Volume 40, Number 07 Page 7 Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) (Can grow to in excess of 3 meters / 10 feet in length) (Largest exclusively freshwater fish found in North America) (Native to the southern United States of America and Mexico) JAGUAR Jaguar Cichlid (Parachromis managuensis) (Large, aggressive cichlid native to Central America) (Very attractive yellow colouration with vivid black spots) A brief detour to the Eurasia exhibit… TIGER Tiger Barb (Puntius tetrazona) (The DRAS logo fish!) (Native to the Malay Peninsula in Asia) Tiger Datnoid (Datnoides spp.) (Native to Indonesia and Thailand) (Large fish with an attractive stripped pattern) And our last stop at the Toronto Zoo is the Tundra Trek WOLF Wolfish (Hoplias malabaricus) (Native to Central and South America) (Large predatory Characin) Wolf Cichlid (Nandopsis dovii) (Native to Central and South America) (Large predatory cichlid) But even outside the zoo, we will see animals that will call to mind some of the freshwater aquarium fish available. DOGS Bulldog Pleco (Chaetostoma milesi) (Small Loricariidae native to Columbia) (Also known as Rubbernose or Widemouth Pleco) Dalmatian Molly (Poecilia latipinna) (Native to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico) (Also known as the Marbled Molly) (Spots resemble those on a Dalmatian) Tank Talk – March 2013 / Volume 40, Number 07 Page 8 BUGS Bumblebee Catfish (Pseudomystus siamensis) (Medium sized catfish native to Thailand) (Not to be confused with Microglanis iheringi, which is also known as the Bumblebee Catfish) Bumblebee Catfish (Microglanis iheringi) (Small catfish native to South America) (Not to be confused with Pseudomystus siamensis, which is also known as the Bumblebee Catfish) Bumblebee Goby (Brachygobius doriae) (Small goby native to Southeast Asia) (Attractive yellow and black striped pattern which more closely resembles a bumblebee than the catfish listed above) But heading back to the zoo and the impending arrival of the Giant Pandas, it got me to thinking; are there any freshwater fish named after a resemblance to a Panda? And of course I then remembered the much forgotten; Panda Cory (Corydoras panda) (Corydoras species native to South America) A bit of research revealed two others that I had never heard of before; Panda Oranda Goldfish (Carassius auratus) (Aquarium strain of the Oranda Goldfish) (Stunning black and white goldfish that really does call a Panda to mind) Panda Garra (Garra flavatra) (Native to Burma in Southeast Asia) (Actually a Cyprinid and not a loach as some sites suggest) (Colouration is more a beige and brown than a black and white) It is interesting the way the human mind works. I’d wager that most of us have never seen a Giant Panda in person, but we know the distinctive black and white colouration. The three fish named after the Panda share nothing in common other than a vague similarity of colouration, but by sharing the name, we have an idea of what some aspect of their appearance will be. The same is true of most of the other fish I mentioned above, but we still associate some aspect of the appearance or behavior (the Wolfish and Wolf Cichlid listed above look nothing like a wolf, but the predatory behavior calls to mind that of the wolf) with the animal they are named after, and see or learn of how that appearance or behavior is associated with the “main” animal. In the end, there are only peripheral similarities to one aspect of behavior or appearance, but the sharing of the portion of a common name make it easier for us to remember and identify the fish as something distinct. Oh, and one other thing that I noted of interest. Even though the above (and undoubtedly other species) have a common name using that of another animal, only the Zebra Pleco (Hypancistrus zebra) and the Panda Cory (Corydoras panda) actually share the common name of another creature within their own binomial name. Tank Talk – March 2013 / Volume 40, Number 07 Page 9 In the months and years ahead, my wife and I will no doubt be making a trip or two to the zoo to see the Giant Pandas, but when I see them, I’ll also thinking of the Panda Cory, the Panda Oranda Goldfish and the Panda Garra. No doubt as we walk through the Toronto Zoo other animals will bring associations with fish as well, and that too is good. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll try and find room in one of my tanks for a fish that will everyday bring to mind the association with another… Thinking of those Panda Oranda Goldfish… Anyone know where I can get some? Citations 1 – Largest Cities of the World (by metro population): (http://www.worldatlas.com/citypops.htm) 2 – Global City: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World-Class_City) 3 – #2 in the 10 Best Zoos In The World: (http://www.ratestogo.com/blog/best-zoos/) 4 – #3 in the Top 10 Best Zoo’s In The World: (http://www.worldoffemale.com/top-10-best-zoo%E2%80%99s-in-the- world/) 5 – #5 in the 10 Best Zoos In The World: (http://www.pawnation.com/2012/04/16/10-best-zoos-in-the-world/#photo=1) 6 – #5 in the 8 Largest Zoos in the World: (http://www.touropia.com/largest-zoos-in-the-world/) Tank Talk – March 2013 / Volume 40, Number 07 Page 10 .