In our lives, there are creatures that have extraordinary vitality. Even though they appear to be dead, they are actually still alive. Scavenger fish is one such creature. Even though they appear to be dead, in reality they have only entered a state of suspended animation as a way to cope with the stresses in their environment.
Scavenger fish are very resilient fish that can survive in a variety of harsh environments. However, when they are faced with extremely harsh environmental conditions, they resort to a special survival strategy – suspended animation. In this state, the scavenger fish stops breathing and heartbeat, lowering their own metabolic rate in order to reduce energy expenditure. At the same time, their bodies become very stiff, as if they were dead.
Why do scavenger fish choose this way to cope with the harsh environment? In fact, it is a special ability that they have evolved to cope with environmental stressors such as food shortages and poor water quality. By going into suspended animation, scavenger fish can reduce their own energy expenditure, allowing them to survive longer when food and water are scarce. At the same time, this state also helps them to evade predator attacks.
This state of suspended animation is not permanent. When environmental conditions improve, scavenger fish recover from suspended animation and resume normal life activities. This is also the reason why we sometimes see scavenger fish that "come back from the dead".
How can we tell if a scavenger fish is still alive? It's actually very simple, just observe their gills and body reactions. If the gills are moving slightly, or if the body is slightly shaking, it means that the scavenger fish is still alive. And if they don't react at all, they may have actually died.
The ability of scavenger fish to "fake death" is a special survival strategy that they have developed during their evolution. With this strategy, they can survive extreme environments and rejuvenate when environmental conditions improve. This extraordinary vitality makes us have to sigh at the wonder of nature and the tenacity of life.
It is also important to note that scavenger fish have become invasive alien species in some areas due to their high resilience and reproductive capacity. These invasive scavenger fish will have an impact on the local ecosystem, so we need to strengthen the management and control of invasive alien species to protect our ecological environment.