A Stunning Artwork by the Japanese Puffer Fish – BBC Life

The evolutionary origins of nest building behavior in vertebrates are deep rooted and go all the way back to the fish. The behavior can be very complex with stunning results such as that of the Japanese puffer fish. When the behavior was documented for the first time by Japanese divers it created a big excitement among biologist.

Here in this short observation the selective pressures on the male puffer fish exceeds those from predation and nest parasitism but purely sexual. In order to create a super-normal stimulus on female perception the male is under intense selection creating an aquatic mandala literally. We are accustomed to see elaborate displays especially in birds and a very informative video put together by Cornell University researchers provides a biological explanation of such behavior through the short animated documentary An Illustrated Introduction to Natural & Sexual Selection.