FLYING FISH

Flying fish generally do not actually fly, but they glide on their outstretched fins for distances of up to 0.4km. Flying fish can be seen jumping out of warm ocean waters worldwide.Their streamlined torpedo shape helps them gather enough underwater speed to break the surface, and their large, wing-like pectoral fins get them airborne.Apart from their useful pectoral fins, some of them have enlarged pelvic fins and are therefore known as the four winged flying fish.Flying fish are thought to have evolved their remarkable gliding ability to escape predators. Flying fish are attracted to light, like a number of sea creatures, and fishermen take advantage of this with substantial results.Characteristics Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to hide and escape from predators by leaping out of the water; taking short glided flights through air just above the water's surface. They have lopsided tails. The eyes of the flying fish are relatively larger than the other species. These are also flat in shape and this is what helps to improve the visual perception when it glides through the air. The streamlined torpedo shape of the body helps them to gather underwater speed. These fish swim very close to the surface of the water and their fins remain close to the body. Once they leave the water, they spread their fins to be able to glide.Studies have shown that the flying fish keep their enlarged pectoral fins very steady when they glide through the air. Their manner of gliding is also similar to the flying squirrels and very apart from the birds.This is because birds vibrate their wings when they are in the air.Size In average, flying fish are 17.5-30 cm in length and have pectoral fins that compare in size with the wings of birds.Feeding habits The diet of the flying fish consists of planktons and small crustaceans. They also feed on other aquatic insects.Habitat Flying fish are found in all of the major oceans, particularly in the warm tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.Lifespan They live for about 8 to 10 years. -- Agencies