Flying Fish

Belonging to the family of Exocoetidae, the flying fish is a marine oceanic fish category. There are more than 50 different species of this particular fish that tends to reside in the warmer regions of the water bodies.

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The main thing to note about the flying fish is the ability that it has to glide out of the water for some time. The size of the fish is pretty small and it goes up to a length of about 18 inches in total. These fishes have an unevenly forked tail segment along with rigid fins that resemble wings.

In this article, we are going to have a discussion about flying fish. This is so that students have the ability to understand the topic in the best way.

Description of the Flying Fish

Flying fish or more commonly known as the flying gurnard is a member of the cod family. These fishes belong to the ray fin family of marine fish. The fishes are most common in the tropical warm regions of the water and mostly reside in the oceans.

There is a pretty remarkable ability in flying that sets it apart from all the other species of fishes that reside on the planet. The fins present on the pectoral side of the fish resemble that of wings that are modified in a certain way. This allows the fish to jump out of the water in order to glide around the water surface up to about 650 feet in total. These fishes travel together in schools along with the ocean water bodies.

During an encounter with a particular predator, these fishes make use of the wings that they have in order to make a fast escape. It is also seen that flying fish can make about 12 consecutive flights at a time. While the fish species is pretty abundant around the entire planet, it is often deemed as endangered.

The looks of the flying fish are mostly like sardines. However, they also have some resemblances with the cod. The shape of the body is like a torpedo and it has silvery and blue scales all over the body. There is also a presence of an uneven, forked tail that stands vertical. Some of the most prominent features of the fish are the wings that are situated on the pectoral side of the fish. These are the modified pelvic fins that the fish use in order to move around and glide out of the water surface.

Classification and Scientific Name of Flying Fish

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When it comes to the scientific name of the flying fish belonging to the ray fin species, they are names Exocotidae. This name is basically a combination of 2 different words in Latin that tends to mean “Sleeping Outside”. One interesting thing about the name of the fish is that it comes from the myth that these fishes tend to move to the shore in order to sleep. The order that this fish belongs to is known as Beloniformes. There are some other members of this order such as Ricefish and Needlefish.

Flying Fish Locations: Where are They Found?

The locations in which the flying gurnard is found can be set as the 3 major ocean water bodies as the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic. These fishes are found around the depth of about 650 feet in total. There are certain species that will reside in the subtropical as well as the tropical water bodies as well.

However, another important thing to keep in mind about the fishes is that they are not commonly found in the northern areas due to the fact that the temperature is pretty cold there. Most flying fishes tend to look for warmer climates in order to choose their habitat because the cold temperature can impede the entire muscular function of the fishes. Hence, they will not be able to properly glide through the air for sure.

Here is another interesting piece of information about the flying fish. The species is so commonly found along the Caribbean side that the area’s national emblem tends to be the flying fish for sure. The population alongside this area tends to be pretty stable. The species are not very much endangered along with the other areas however they are pretty endangered in the Caribbean regions.

Flying Fish Food Habits and Food Cycle

The flying fish food habits tend to form a very important part of the entire food cycle in the marine environment. Hence, there is no doubt that people need to have more information about the food habits of this particular fish for sure. Flying fish feed on other small fishes as well as certain crustaceans for their diet. It is also seen that some of the species of flying fishes tend to migrate to different locations in order to find their prey.

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They acquire the nutrients from the smaller organisms in the water and in turn provide nutrients to some other large predators that feed on the flying fish as well. The cycle continues without any particular disruption.

Since these fishes are found in ocean water bodies, they don’t really have any trouble locating their prey. The fishes also have pectoral fins that help them in moving in a pretty fast manner and that helps them in catching their prey in the best way for sure.

Reproduction of The Flying Fish and Lifespan

The reproduction of the flying fish is a very peculiar process that sparks the interest of many researchers in the world. One of the main things to keep in mind about the fishes is that they tend to congregate in millions every single year for the season of spawning in the best way. The location of the spawning happens to be along the surface of the ocean that is open to nature. The females of the species will release hundreds of their eggs into the water so that the males are able to fertilize these eggs. Then the eggs after the completion of the process of fertilization will be attached to the rocks or seaweed that is found in the ocean water surface.

After some time, about a few days, the young fish are born pretty easily and they have whiskers on their mouth. These whiskers provide protection to the young as they can easily blend in with the plants. One of the important things to keep in mind about the younger generation of flying fish is that they tend to be completely alone after their birth and hence can be prey to many predators for sure. After reaching a length of 2 inches, these fishes will gain their fins and hence will have the ability to glide along the water. The usual lifespan of a flying fish is about 5 years in total and the fishes tend to live up to that time without any difficulty if they are not hunted as prey.

Incredible Facts About The Flying Fish That You Should Know About

There are some very interesting facts about the flying fish that people need to know about. Here we are going to mention some of them in the best way. Make sure that you are paying attention to what we say if you want to have some important details.

• The majority of the flying fishes tend to have about two wings on the pectoral side of their body. However, there are certain species of fish that have about 4 wings in total. The pectoral, as well as the pelvic fins that they have, are modified into wings and hence give this distinct character to the fish. This also helps them in gliding along the water body in a better way.

• The next interesting fact about the flying fish is that they are peculiarly attracted to certain sources of light. This information comes to help when the fisherman is hunting for these fishes as they are easily attracted to the lights that are present in the boats. This way, they are able to catch huge numbers of fishes that swim up to the water surface into the traps.

• The speed of the movement of flying fish is about 3 feet per second. When they want to launch themselves during the time of flight, they will beat the tails that they have very rapidly at the rate of about 70 beats per second. They will also hold the fins very close to the body in order to break the water surface. After doing that, they will extend the wings that they have in order to glide in a very smooth manner.

Fishing and Cooking of Flying Fishes

Flying fishes are a very important part of the food chain when it comes to the marine environment. However, it can also be said that human consumption of flying fishes is pretty high as well. These fishes are edible in nature and hence are caught on a very large scale. The entire region of Asia and Pacific parts of the Caribbean mostly depend on the flying fishes for their diet. Some of the fishermen would go to the water bodies with huge lights on their boats in order to catch the fish. 

It is seen that the flying fishes are properly attracted to different sources of light. This proves to be very useful when it comes to attracting a huge number of fish and catching them in traps for sure. These fishes are often consumed as sushi in certain parts of the world. The eggs of the fishes are also consumed by the people. It is even considered a proper delicacy along with different parts of the world. We hope that this article is able to provide you with all the information that you need regarding the flying fish in the best way.