The fish glistened as it leapt out of the water. A kaleidoscope of colours - pink, green, white and silver - sparkled briefly in the sunlight before it plunged back into the icy waters of the creek. 

Rainbow troutThe rainbow trout is native to cold-water rivers which run into the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America.  look nothing like humans. They live on water instead of land, have gills instead of lungs and scales instead of skin. 

But according to one journalist, this unlikely creature can teach us vital lessons about relationships, love and the meaning of "home". 

Lauren Silverman started watching rainbow trout in the creek near her home. Her relationship with her partner was struggling. Ten years earlier, he had followed her 6,000 miles from his home in Argentina. Now, after years of homesickness, he had returned. 

The more Silverman looked at the trout, the more similarities she saw with humans. In the first few weeks of existence, humans are water-dwellers too. Our eyes are on the sides of our heads and we have gill-like structures on our necks. 

The more she looked at her relationship, the more parallels she saw with the trout. 

Rainbow trout are one of the world's few anadromousA term for fish that migrate up rivers from the sea to spawn.  fish. They are born in freshwater rivers before moving out to the ocean. There, they undergo a transformationThey even gain a new name: steelhead trout., changing their scales from pink to blue and developing special cells to process excess salt. At some point, they feel an urge to return to the river, and they will cross huge barriersThe number of rainbow trout in the Californian creek began declining after a dam was built. Now a fish ladder - a series of small pools on levels - is being built to help the fish swim upstream.  to do so. 

When Paulo moved to the US, he too underwent a transformation. He stopped kissing people's cheeks and started calling himself Paul. Now, he was feeling the urge to go home.

One day, Silverman discovered something extraordinary. Unlike salmon, rainbow trout do not die after they spawn. Instead, they travel time and time again between the river and the sea. Not long afterwards, Paulo called. He was returning to California, but he wanted to spend more time in Argentina too. 

Silverman is not the only one who thinks fish can teach us about life. "We are just fish that think too much," agrees fish expert Pete Hurd. One study found that when convict cichlidsA type of fish native to Central America. Also known as zebra cichlids, they are named for the black and white stripes on their scales.  lose their mate, they become pessimistic. 

Others have found comfort in the way dolphins work as a team to protect their pods.

But not everyone is convinced by the teachings of the trout. AristotleA student of Plato, tutor to Alexander the Great and the father of political philosophy. called humans "rational animals" - unique beings who pursue knowledge for its own sake.

Later, Charles Darwin wrote that humans and animals differ only in degree, not in kind. 

One thing is clear: humans and trout are very different. But some believe that by searching for similarities, we can find a new perspective on life.

Yes: The rainbow trout overcomes huge hurdles to return to its birthplace every year. We should all remember its strong will and resilience when we think about our lives and relationships.

No: This is an absurd idea. The vast differences between rainbow trout and humans make it impossible to compare the two. People should learn about relationships from other humans.

Or... Due to human activity in rivers, the lives of people and rainbow trout are irreversibly intertwined. Even if we cannot learn from them, it is vital we understand them if they are to survive.