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Do flying fish really fly? |
by Alli Rodenhauser (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Have you ever looked out on the ocean and saw a group of flying fish shoot over the waves? What are these little guys doing out of the water, and how did they even get there in the first place? Is there such a thing as an animal who can swim and soar?
It turns out that flying fish don't "fly" so much as "glide," using this skill most often to get away from a predator. If a flying fish needs to make a quick escape it will flap its tail quickly underwater to build up momentum, then BURST into the air and immediately spread its unique oversized fins to catch a breeze, similar to the way a hang glider or kite stays up.
Depending on the size of the fish, a single glide can be as long as 1,300 feet (or 400 meters), though they are on average closer to 600 feet (180 meters) — that's almost as long as two football fields! (Pretty impressive, since these fish normally don't grow more than 18 inches (45 cm) long!) But while a flying fish can "extend" its glide by touching its tail to the water and building up momentum again, it will have to return to the water eventually in order to breathe.
There is no one "flying fish" — the term is actually used to describe a group of approximately forty species of fish with this special ability! They are most commonly found in warm water, and can rocket as high as 6 feet above the surface of the water; in fact, it's in not uncommon for them to accidentally land on the decks of ships if they're gliding too close!
It turns out that flying fish don't "fly" so much as "glide," using this skill most often to get away from a predator. If a flying fish needs to make a quick escape it will flap its tail quickly underwater to build up momentum, then BURST into the air and immediately spread its unique oversized fins to catch a breeze, similar to the way a hang glider or kite stays up.
Depending on the size of the fish, a single glide can be as long as 1,300 feet (or 400 meters), though they are on average closer to 600 feet (180 meters) — that's almost as long as two football fields! (Pretty impressive, since these fish normally don't grow more than 18 inches (45 cm) long!) But while a flying fish can "extend" its glide by touching its tail to the water and building up momentum again, it will have to return to the water eventually in order to breathe.
There is no one "flying fish" — the term is actually used to describe a group of approximately forty species of fish with this special ability! They are most commonly found in warm water, and can rocket as high as 6 feet above the surface of the water; in fact, it's in not uncommon for them to accidentally land on the decks of ships if they're gliding too close!
- "Fact Files: Flying Fish." BBC Science & Nature. 20 Sep. 2009.
- "Flying Fish." National Geographic. 20 Sep. 2009.
- "Flying Fish." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Sep. 2009.
Wow, they can jump as high as 6ft? V.cool! Thanks, great stuff.