Hello folks who wonder if asking people to give up showers during covid season will help with enforcing social distancing,

On a recent kayaking trip in the Alviso slough(No, not this one), I spotted something fishy on the water surface.
So I paddled towards it only to discover a dead Striped bass fish floating. It was dead already by the time I arrived which begs the question why is it floating, isn't it dead?


Striped bass can be identified by their distinct stripes on the sides that extend to the tail and their large size. Because of their large size they will devour tinier fishes just how people devour chicken wings on a Super Bowl night. They are not native to this region and were introduced from New Jersey more than 100 years ago.
Yes, that's right, they carry the New Jersey accent and will often be spotted saying "let's go to the maul to get some kofi"

So like any sane person would do, I quickly checked if it had worn any personal floatation devices or life jacket that kept it floating in the water.


Turns out, the reason it is floating is not because of any life jackets. You see, when the fish dies of natural causes it will initially sink to the bottom.
After a while, bacteria will start the process of decomposition inside the fish's body. This process results in the production of a lot of gases inside the fish's body which makes the body more buoyant and ultimately the dead fish will rise to the top.
This way you can also tell the fish has been dead for sometime and the killer who poisoned her drink might have left town already.


​Observing foraging behaviors in birds is fascinating since there is so much diversity in every species.
Take the example of this Spotted Towhee​ who will employ a double-scratching technique to uncover seeds and other grubs. This is similar to humans scratching a lottery ticket hoping to win millions just so they can leave the shitty job they hate so much.


Great Egret on the other hand will focus all its attention on anything moving in the water, standing still, till it calculates the correct angle and point to strike the unsuspecting fish.
The intensity with which they look at the fish, if the same gaze was given to you by another person you know either they are madly in love with you or they are thinking of where to dump your body after they chop it up.
Here is one waiting for the right moment.


And when the time is just right....


Now you know why it is so great...


Karan Gathani

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