A video of a fish “watching” a woman in a bathroom in Australia has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was shared by Darithy Kim (@darithykim) and has had 1.6 million views since it was posted on February 26. According to the post, the footage was captured on Daydream Island, an island among the Whitsunday Islands in the Australian state of Queensland.
A voice in the clip says “this guy” as the footage shows a large fish floating in turquoise waters behind a glass wall inside what appears to be an underwater bathroom setting.
The camera shows a shot of the toilet as the voice says “I need to pee but…he’s just watching me, how weird,” before showing a view of the fish again as the clip ends.
A caption shared with the post reads: “Stage fright at its finest.”
The poster’s self-conscious feeling in the latest viral clip is understandable as fish have been shown to interact with humans.
A March 2021 study of fish, published in Animals, found that “individual fish displayed unique interaction patterns, with some frequently engaging in tactile interaction and others only periodically or rarely doing so.”
The study’s analysis of video data showed that overall, koi, a type of fish, “spent more time than expected in close proximity to the human and even sought out physical contact.”
The study’s findings demonstrated that captive carp, another type of fish, “can and do seek out physical contact with a familiar human and that they show individual differences in interaction patterns.”
As awkward as it might feel to be staring at a fish while using the bathroom, “some research has associated viewing fish in aquariums with positive well-being outcomes,” noted a July 2019 study in PLOS One.
The study, which showed preliminary support for effects on mood, pain, nutritional intake and body weight, found that “interacting with fish in aquariums has the potential to benefit human well-being.”
‘Performance Anxiety’
Users on TikTok were amused by the latest viral clip.
Moxxion noted: “when you realise the window wasn’t put in for you to watch the fish but for the fish to watch you.”
Booping_Noises said: “It’s like one of those dreams where u just need to go to the bathroom but weird stuff keeps happening.”
Someone wrote the fish must have been saying “Don’t mind me,” while Nikhil noted the fish is saying “‘cmon ! Do your thing!!!”
Ruth L. said: “I have performance anxiety.”
callme.giuseppe wrote: “I don’t have stage fright but this would scare me.”
User @izabrio said: “he’s just standing there… menacingly!!”
Ellessem noted: “Ma’am you’re in his house.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.