A Puzzling Riddle - What am I?

Arapaima - air breathing fish - The Arapaima is an air breathing fish, and must come to the surface of the water every 15 minutes or so to breathe, else it will indeed drown. It is a South American tropical freshwater fish, but can be found elsewhere in the world since it is a popular food and sport fish.
United States
September 28, 2010 4:00pm CST
I ran across the puzzle below earlier today while I was surfing the Internet and I thought I'd share it with you. I live, yet do not breathe. I am freezing. I am never thirsty, but always drink. What am I? Now, the answer, of course, is a Fish! BUT, there are several complaints about this question and its answer. 1) Fish do actually breathe; they just do it underwater by extracting oxygen from the water as they pass it over their gills. 2) Some fish do actually breathe air just like humans! The Arapima arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche (Arapaima gigas) is just one example. It must come to the surface every 15 minutes or so to breathe, else it will indeed drown! 3) Fish are indeed cold blooded, but they aren't exactly freezing. Perhaps compared to warm blooded animals, but still not really freezing. 4) Although fish probably are never thirsty, since water is all around them all the time and their food provides all the water they need, they really don't drink. The water they take in through their mouths is passed out again over their gills and is not swallowed. And before you can call something drinking, ya gotta swallow, don't ya?? Now you can all call me a spoil-sport, nit picky, getting all technical, or picayune! But I do feel better getting that off my chest. :-) What do YOU all think? And have you come across puzzles that weren't quite fair?
1 person likes this
2 responses
• United States
1 Oct 10
Well, I held out and didn't look for the answer until you posted it here, hahaha! I thought it was ICE! I don't do well with riddles.
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Oct 10
I usually don't do well on riddles either! I think it's because I tend to analyze it too much and am too critical of the possible answers, like I did with this one. Plus, I don't tend to have a lot of patience or focus with things like this if I can't solve it right away or it doesn't strongly hold my interest.
• Philippines
29 Sep 10
very nice deductive dissection of the riddle. you've got all the facts straight, but i guess thats just how riddles are written. they're made to mean something similar, but it doesn't really point to what its describing so the reader will really think about what the answer is.:) just like this: in the morning,i have four feet. by noon,i only have two. and when night comes,i have gained one to make three. what am i? the answer is a man shown in 3 stages of his life: 1.as a baby, 2. an adult, and 3. an elderly person using a cane.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Sep 10
Thanks chemhakz! I like the riddle you gave. I think I've seen it before in different form, but essentially the same. And, you are right that many riddles aren't meant to be held to exactness, but rather to the spirit of it! Being a science guy, I tend to analyze things as thoroughly as possible. So I get critical often with such things. I guess it's just in my nature. :-)