Flying Fish
Flying fish are a group of about 40 marine fish species of the Atheriniformes order (Atherinidae) and the Exocoetidae family, known for their ability to 'fly', so they are called flying fish.
Flying fish have a peculiar appearance, with a long pectoral fin extending to the tail, like the wings of a bird. It can jump out of the water fifteen meters, stay in the air for 40 seconds, and the farthest distance of flight can reach 400 meters. The blue sea, flying fish at times appearing and disappearing, breaking the waves forward, a very spectacular scene. But flying fish are not flying, it feels like they are flapping their wing-like fins, in fact, it is just gliding.
Flying fish have a peculiar appearance, their pectoral fins are particularly developed, like the wings of a bird. The long pectoral fin extends to the tail, the entire body is like a 'long shuttle' woven. Thanks to its streamlined and beautiful body shape, flying fish can move at a speed of 10 meters per second in the sea. It can jump out of the water fifteen meters, the longest time it stays in the air is 40 seconds, and the farthest distance of flight is 400 meters. Flying fish's back color is close to the sea water, it often activities on the sea surface. They often fly in groups in the sea, with a carp-like shape, bird-winged body, white head red mouth, with blue-colored patterns on their back, they often fly at night.
Flying fish accelerate underwater, swim towards the surface, the fins are close to the streamlined body. When breaking through the water surface, they open their large fins, the remaining tail quickly taps, thus obtaining additional thrust. When the force is sufficient, the tail comes out of the water completely, so it rises into the air, flying at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour above the water surface. Flying fish can make continuous gliding, each time returning to the water, the tail pushes the body up again. Strong flying fish can glide for 180 meters once, the continuous gliding (time long to 43 seconds) distance can be as far as 400 meters.
Flying fish are widely distributed in the warm seas of the world, known for their ability to fly. Their bodies are all small, with wing-like stiff fins and asymmetrical forked tails. Flying fish can jump high enough to jump onto the deck of ships with their own ships, and sailors often find flying fish falling on the deck at dawn. Flying fish live in the upper layer of the sea, are the main prey of various ferocious fish, flying fish's flying is to escape from predators. Flying fish don't easily jump out of the water, only when attacked or stimulated by the sound of the ship's engine, they show their ability to fly.
Flying fish's main food in the sea is small floating organisms, in May and June every year, they come from the equatorial area to China's inland sea 'fry', after breeding offspring. Its eggs are also light and small, the surface of the eggs has filamentous protrusions, very suitable for hanging on seaweed. Before, fishermen based on the breeding habits of flying fish, in the place where it lays eggs, a long road of several hundred meters or even thousands of meters long nets were put in the sea, to catch them, the country has taken protective measures, this beautiful fish species has been protected.
In fact, the 'flight' of flying fish is just gliding. Scientists used cameras to reveal the 'flight' secret of flying fish, flying fish actually uses its tail to start off, not like what people imagined, is by vibrating their pectoral fins to fly. Before flying fish come out of the water, they adjust the angle quickly and swim underwater, when they are about to break through the sea surface, they tighten their pectoral fins and abdominal fins to the sides of the body, then use their powerful tail to quickly wave a curved water mark, which causes a strong thrust, prompting the fish to suddenly burst out of the water like an arrow, with a speed of 18 meters per second. After coming out of the water, flying fish immediately open their long and wide pectoral fins, facing the wind and flying at a speed of about 15 meters per second.
When the wind is appropriate, flying fish can fly 200-400 meters in the air 4-5 meters away from the water surface. When flying fish return to the water, if they need to take off again, they will use their tail to tap the waves again when they are not yet entering the water, to increase the gliding force, so they can jump out of the water again and continue their short gliding flight. It is obvious that the 'wings' of flying fish don't flap, but just rely on the tail's propulsion force to make a short 'flight' in the air. Someone once did an experiment, cutting the tail fin of flying fish and then putting it back into the sea, since it doesn't have bird-like developed muscles, can't flap 'wings', the flying fish with cut tail fin can no longer take off.
