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Saturday, 11 April 2015

Goldfish

The Chinese during the Sung Dynasty, which ruled from 960 to 1279. developed the practice of breeding ornamental fish suitable for keeping in small containers. One result of their efforts was the goldfish, a type of carp.

In 1162 AD, the Empress of China forbade non-royals from keeping goldfish that were yellow, which is why the orange variety is more common.

During the 1920s a class president candidate at Harvard called Lothrop Withington Jr.  swallowed a live goldfish in a bid to win more votes. The stunt created a trend of 'goldfish swallowing' which became so popular in US colleges shortly before World War II that eventually Massachusetts state legislature had to create a bill banning it. A student at Kutztown State Teacher's College, Reading Pennsylvania, managed to down forty-three in one session.

Two New Zealand goldfish survived spending four and a half months trapped in their tank after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Shaggy and Daphne, named after Scooby Doo cartoon characters, had seaweed to munch on, but are also thought to have eaten the other fish in their tank.

The record number of live goldfish swallowed in a single sitting now stands at 210.

Seven-year-old Peter Hand won a goldfish called Tish at a funfair in 1956. The fish swam with the family in their Yorkshire home until his death in 1999. Tish was at least 43 years old when he passed away, making him the world’s oldest captive goldfish.

Farmers sometimes put goldfish in a horses water trough to control mosquito and other insect larvae from producing.

If you keep a Goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn white. Similar to humans, they need sunlight to keep their pigment.

If a goldfish's eyes are damaged it can regrow them.


Goldfish can see ultraviolet light in addition to red, green, and blue. The ability to distinguish between four different primary colors classifies them as tetrachromats.

Contrary to popular belief, goldfish have a memory of at least three months and can be trained to perform tricks.

Research has shown that goldfish remember things better in cold water than warm water.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.


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