In Pixar's animated film Finding Nemo, the clownfish Nemo pretends to be dead by flipping onto his back to avoid being given as a gift to the dentist's niece. Similarly, visitors to the Uozu Aquarium in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, were startled to see a large fish lying belly-up at the bottom of its tank, mistakenly thinking it had died.
However, after the aquarium staff explained the situation, visitors couldn't help but laugh. The aquarium posted on Twitter with a photo, noting that the large fish was lying still, causing concern among visitors who asked, "Could it be dead?" The staff reassured everyone that the fish was very much alive and well cared for by the keepers. In fact, the fish had become quite plump from the care, appearing round and chubby.
This large fish is a species known as the Common remora (Remora remora). The aquarium humorously remarked, "It is currently on a diet!" Possibly tired from trying to lose weight, the remora only swims around during feeding times and remains still the rest of the time whenever possible.
According to Taiwan's Biodiversity Research Center at Academia Sinica, wild short-finned remoras often attach themselves to large fish such as sharks and sailfish, drifting along with their hosts and feeding on leftover food and external parasites.
Netizens expressed surprise that fish, like humans, not only worry about dieting but also know how to relax and be lazy. Comments included: "Looks like fish also enjoy eating and sleeping," "Fish are dieting?!", "Sleeping more definitely makes you less hungry," "It's alive, but not very active," and "Fish near fish farms also lie on the seabed waiting for drifting feed, so they don't have to do anything to eat. I guess fish are pretty smart—they learn to slack off after eating enough."
こちらは毎日エサの時間にだけ泳ぎ周り、それ以外の時間はほとんど動かず、お客様からは「死んでいるのでは？」と心配される、飼育員からの愛を一身に受け、丸太のようになってしまった可愛いナガコバン。
※現在ダイエット中です pic.twitter.com/4MpDSwJAWx
— 魚津水族館公式 (@uozuaquarium) April 14, 2025
