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Fish with finned wings. Flying fish (photo and video)

Nature has created the most interesting specimens in every species of plants, animals, birds and aquatic inhabitants. Unlike anyone else, unique in beauty. There are about 52 species of flying fish in the world, amazing beauty. Latin name Exocoetidae places them in the family sea fish and is classified in the order Garfish.

The originality of flying fish is given by their pectoral fins, which allow them to soar above the water.

Flying fish

Habitat and food

Habitat The warm waters of the tropics and subtropics serve. The fish is thermophilic, and the temperature of these waters does not drop below 20° C. The largest concentration of these individuals, up to forty species, is noted in the territories of the Indo-Pacific basin. Migrates depending on the season, swims to the English Channel and the coast of southern Denmark and Norway. In Peter the Great Bay on Far East her presence is also noted.

Flying fish stay in small schools. Depending on the species, they can live in both open waters ocean, and populate coastal zone.

Their diet includes: baby fish, fish eggs, plankton, small crustaceans.

Appearance and structure

Outwardly, the “flyer” is dim and does not reveal itself in any way. Swims mostly shallow from the surface of the water. The color is a dark blue back, camouflaging from celestial enemies and a gray, silver, light belly.

And here are the colors of the fins bright: green, transparent, blue, brown, spotted and striped.

The head is blunt in shape, with teeth only on the jaws.

The size of the fish is small, 15–30 centimeters. Giants individuals whose body size reaches up to 45–50 centimeters are considered. Weight is about 700 grams. The tail is strong, wide and acts as an accelerator during take-off. The swim bladder runs along the entire spine almost to the tail.

Body structure in the form torpedoes indicates that the fish can move quickly through the water. When moving underwater, its fins are pressed tightly to the body. Develops an average speed of 60 km/h.

What makes this little fish fly?

The ability to fly developed over time as necessity elude pursuers in the depths of the sea. Flying out of the water, the flyer escapes from sea predators, but in reality ends up in full view of other enemies.

Albatrosses and gulls are always on the alert. She has many enemies. They love to feast on her Marine life, birds and people. So, the fish is almost always between a rock and a hard place.

Of course, the concept of “flying” does not mean that the fish flaps its fins. She flies over the surface of the water, thanks to fins spread to the sides.

Swimming almost on the surface, with strong blows of the tail, it pushes its body out of the water at a speed of 30–35 km/h and is accelerated by rapid movements of the tail up to 60 km/h. At this time, the caudal fin makes up to 70 strokes per second. The wing fins open immediately.

It is the structure of the pectoral fins that allows flight. The fins are similar to the wings of birds, hard and durable. Wedge-shaped sharp tail. The size and shape of the fins indicate the duration of the flight. Different types have different quantities and the size of the thoracic wings.

Difference in fins:

Diptera. Only the pectoral fins are used for flight.
Four-winged. Both pectoral and ventral fins are developed. There are about 50 species of such representatives.

The height of soaring above the waters is 5–6 meters. Duration being in the air - from a few seconds to a minute, during which time it flies an average distance of 50–400 meters.

Several points that affect flight duration:

The body shape resembles a torpedo.
Fin length: individuals with longer fins float longer.
Number of fins. Flying fish, in which only pectoral fins are developed, fly worse than representatives with four “wings”.
The dense design of the fins makes it possible to stay in the air.
In conclusion: the “flyer” does not fall with his belly into the water, but holds his body above the water for some time with the help of his caudal fin. At this time, he looks like a sailboat driven by the wind.

Flying fish cannot control flight. Numerous cases of individuals hitting the deck of a ship or hitting the side indicate that the flying fish doesn't control the direction in which it is flying. The flight of flying fish amazes absolutely everyone, both those who see the spectacle for the first time and experienced sailors. A bright, unforgettable sight.

Reproduction

Spawning begins in spring. Reproduction occurs by postponing small, red eggs. It spawns off the coast. The mother fish is not very selective, so it attaches the eggs to algae, twigs, fruits, floating feathers and other, so to speak, garbage that floats along the coast.

Representatives living in open waters have caviar free floats. Experts note that, having gathered in schools, the fish circle over one place: when releasing eggs, the water turns milky green.

The younger generation, unlike their parents, have bright colors . The young feed on plankton.

The fish meat is tasty, it is commercial in some countries. Fishing takes place at night, the bait is light, which attracts schools of fish.

In India they hunt during spawning.

In Japan, flying fish is considered one of the main commercial fish, catching about 50% of the total catch. We know the “flyer” caviar under the name “ tobiko" It is widely used in the manufacture sushi and other popular Japanese dishes.

Recorded record: flight range of a flying fish - 600 meters in 42 seconds.

The lifespan of the fish has not been established.

Many animals would gladly trade their own tail for wings. Why are there animals? From time immemorial, we people have strived for the sky, thanks to which we have hang gliders, airplanes and other aircraft. But the wings, alas, never grew. But who would have thought that advanced humanity would be deftly surpassed by fish? Flying silver inhabitant depths of the sea has always made an indelible impression on homo sapiens. It was she who became the prototype of the toy flying fish, which in a matter of months turned into an incredibly popular pastime for children and adults. Flying fish (air swimmers) - what are they really like?

Fins-wings

Here she is - the winged muse from under the water, who inspired the inventors to create aircraft. above the waves like a bird, in Latin it is called Exocoetidae (and in Russian - dipterous, or flying fish) and belongs to the order Sarganiformes, which has as many as 52 species.

In particular, the vehicle of this representative underwater depths, is amazing. This one, from head to tip of tail, is 15-25 centimeters long, the most large individuals sometimes reach half a meter. Its elongated body has wide, well-developed, fairly strong and rigid pectoral fins, which are very similar to sweeping wings. In some individuals, each primary fin is forked - such fish are called four-winged.

A fish flying over the sea has a giant air bubble that can hold up to 44 cubic centimeters of air! Along with wings, it helps the sea dweller to fly and soar.

A curiosity from the subtropics

Fish that soar above the surface of the water like birds live exclusively in the tropics and subtropics. This species cannot tolerate habitat temperatures below +20 o C. Their place of residence is Quiet and as well as Red and Mediterranean Sea. The largest concentration of flying beauties is observed in the Caribbean Sea, near Barbados.

Flying fish (photos of which can often be found in glossy travel publications) bring indescribable delight to both travelers and indigenous residents, who freeze in admiration every time at the sight of soaring representatives of this fish family.

Diet features

Winged fish flying over the sea all alone is a rare phenomenon: this species always lives in schools, sometimes grouping into large schools. They often surround passing ships in a tight ring. These peaceful flyers are absolutely not aggressive - rather, they themselves are food for predators. The diet of flying fish consists of plankton, small crustaceans, benthic microorganisms and mollusks.

For whom is flying fish a delicacy? Sharks, large squids, birds and humans - everyone loves the tender, tasty meat of this winged wonder. And caviar, called "tobiko", is widely used in the preparation of Chinese dishes and Flying fish is a valuable commercial product, but so far their number in the World Ocean is not threatened due to their excellent fertility. Each individual is capable of laying up to 24 thousand eggs.

Water like a runway

Flying fish hover over the water not for pleasure, but to escape from impending danger in the form of predators. How does this happen? Underwater, the fins-wings are pressed tightly to the body. Before takeoff, it accelerates its movements with its tail several times (up to 70 times per second!), accelerating to a speed of 55-60 kilometers per hour. Then the fish flies up to a height of 1.5-5 meters, spreading its pectoral fins. The flight range is small and can vary from 1.5 to 5 meters! It is interesting that in the air, sea flyers do not know how to control their flight, and therefore often crash into ships or are showered with fish on the deck.

The flight duration can reach 45 seconds, but this is rare. On average, the flight of a flying fish lasts 10 seconds.

The fish takes off not only to avoid sea predators, but also to the light. Fishermen take advantage of this weakness: just shine a lantern over the boat at night, and the lover of light will jump into the trap herself. The flyer will no longer be able to return to the sea, since there is no water to disperse it with her tail.

Continuation of the family line

Despite the fact that there are plenty of hunters for the winged fish, nothing threatens the population. As we have already mentioned, each female is capable of laying up to 24 thousand eggs in one spawning. They are brightly colored and the diameter of each varies between 0.5-0.8 mm. Where do flying fish lay their eggs? Photos taken by many people show that this fish is not particularly picky when choosing a “house” for future offspring. The eggs attach to everything that literally falls under the fin - to debris, algae, bird feathers, branches and even coconuts brought into the sea from land.

Fry flying fish They eat plankton that collects near the surface of the sea. Appearance the babies differ from the adult winged individuals - their colors are bright and variegated.

Flying fish (exocoetidae)

Many inhabitants underwater world jumping out of the water to escape predators or in pursuit of small insects. And those who have developed this skill to perfection are called flying fish by sailors. This is the name of a wide variety of unrelated fish, although there is also a special family - flying fish. Representatives of this family live in tropical zones of seas and oceans.

For the most capable “aviator” fish, the flight lasts up to a minute (although for the majority it lasts only 2-3 seconds); during this time they fly up to 400 m. When taking off, the fish’s tail acts like a small outboard motor, making 60-70 strokes per second. At the moment of takeoff, the speed of the fish increases to 18 meters per second! And so the fish breaks away from the water surface, rises to a height of 5-6 m, spreads its “wings” (pectoral fins), reaching half a meter in span, and gradually descends, gliding on them. A headwind helps the fish fly, but a tailwind hinders it. If she wants to restore her fading speed, she dips her hard-working tail fin into the water and soars up again.

The sight of a school of thousands of flying fish rising into the air makes a strong impression. This is how Mine Reid wrote about it in his novel “Lost in the Ocean”: “What a charming sight this is! No one can get enough of him: neither the old “sea wolf” who is observing him, probably for the thousandth time, nor the cabin boy who saw him for the first time in his life.” The writer further noted: “It seems that there is no creature in the world that has as many enemies as the flying fish. After all, she rises into the air in order to escape from her many pursuers in the ocean. But this is called “falling from the frying pan into the fire.” Fleeing from the jaws of her constant enemies - dolphins, tunas and other tyrants of the ocean, she ends up in the beak of albatrosses, fulmars and other tyrants of the air.

Almost all flying fish have gliding flight. Real flapping flight - only with freshwater fish from the wedge-bellied family, living in South America. They do not soar, but fly like birds. Their length is up to 10 cm. In case of danger, wedge bellies jump out of the water and, flapping their pectoral fins with a loud buzz, fly up to 5 m. The weight of the muscles that move the “wings” is about 1/4 of the total weight of the fish.

Unlike a flying bird or insect, a flying fish cannot, once in the air, change the direction of its flight. People have been using this for a long time, and in many countries flying fish are caught in flight. In Oceania they are caught with nets on three-meter poles.

In the old days, mullet (which, like flying fish, can jump out of the water) was caught in the Mediterranean Sea by constructing a ring of reed rafts around its schools. Then a boat entered the center of the ring, and the fishermen in it made an unimaginable noise. The fact is that the mullet strives to overcome obstacles on the surface of the water, not by diving under them, but by jumping over them. But the mullet's jumps are short. Alarmed by the noise, the fish jump out of the water and, unable to jump over the rafts, fall onto them.

Flying fish have short jaws and pectoral fins reaching large sizes, commensurate with the length of the body. Nevertheless, they are very close to the half-snouts, from whose ancestors they originate. This closeness is manifested, in particular, in the fact that the fry of some species (for example, the long-snouted flying fish - Fodiator acutus) have an elongated lower jaw and are quite similar in appearance to half-snouts. We can say that such fish go through the “half-snout stage” in individual development.

Representatives of this family do not reach large sizes. Most close-up view- giant flying fish Cheilopogon pennatibarbatus - can have a length of about 50 cm, and the smallest do not exceed 15 cm. The color of flying fish is quite typical for the inhabitants of the surface layer open sea: Their back is dark blue and their underparts are silver. The color of the pectoral fins is very diverse, which can be either plain (transparent, blue, green or brown) or variegated (spotted or striped).

Flying fish inhabit the waters of all warm seas, representing a characteristic element of the geographical landscape tropical zone ocean. This family contains more than 60 species, grouped into seven genera. The fauna of flying fish is especially diverse in the Indo-West Pacific region, where there are more than 40 species belonging to this family. In the eastern part Pacific Ocean About 20 species of flying fish have been discovered, 16 species in the Atlantic Ocean.

The distribution area of flying fish, roughly speaking, is limited to waters with temperatures above 20 °C. Still, most species are found only in the warmest areas of the World Ocean at water temperatures above 23 °C. The periphery of the tropical zone, subject to winter cooling, is characterized by only a few species of subtropical flying fish, sometimes found even at 16-18 °C. In the warm season, single individuals of flying fish occasionally enter areas remote from the tropics. Off the coast of Europe, they are recorded as far as the English Channel and even to southern Norway and Denmark, and in Russian Far Eastern waters they are found in Peter the Great Bay, where Japanese flying fish (Cheilopogon doederleinii) were caught several times.

Most characteristic feature flying fish is their ability to fly, which apparently developed as an adaptation to escape from predators. This ability is expressed in different kinds to varying degrees. The flight of such species of flying fish that have relatively short pectoral fins (the long-snouted flyer Fodiator belongs to them, among others) is less perfect than that of species with long “wings”. Moreover, the evolution of flight within the family apparently occurred in two directions. One of them led to the formation of “two-winged” flying fish, using only pectoral fins when flying, which reach very large sizes. A typical representative“dipteran” flying fish, sometimes compared to monoplane airplanes, is the common dipteran (Exocoetus volitans).

Another direction is represented by “four-winged” flying fish (4 genera and about 50 species), which are likened to biplanes. The flight of these fish is carried out with the help of two pairs of bearing planes, since they have enlarged not only pectoral, but also ventral fins, and at the juvenile stages of development, both fins have approximately the same area. Both directions in the evolution of flight led to the formation of forms well adapted to life in the surface layers of the ocean. At the same time, in addition to the development of “wings”, adaptation to flight was reflected in flying fish in the structure of the caudal fin, the rays of which are rigidly connected to each other and the lower blade is very large compared to the upper, in the unusual development of a huge swim bladder, which continues under the spine until the tail , and in other features.

In some cases, when flying, a flying fish sometimes touches the water with its tail and, by vibrating it, receives additional acceleration. The number of such touches can reach three or four, and in this case the duration of the flight naturally increases. Usually a flying fish is in flight for no more than 10 s and during this time flies several tens of meters, but sometimes the flight duration increases to 30 s, and its range reaches 200 and even 400 m. Apparently, the flight duration is about degree depends on atmospheric conditions, since in the presence of weak winds or rising air currents, flying fish fly long distances and stay in flight longer.

Many sailors and travelers who observed flying fish from the deck of a ship stated that they “clearly saw that the fish flaps its wings in the same way as a dragonfly or a bird does.” In fact, the “wings” of flying fish remain completely motionless during flight and do not flap or oscillate. Only the angle of inclination of the fins can apparently change, and this allows the fish to slightly change the direction of flight. The trembling of the fins, which eyewitnesses note, is not the cause of the flight, but its consequence. It is explained by the involuntary vibration of the straightened fins, especially strong in those moments when the fish, already in the air, still continues to work in the water with its caudal fin.

Flying fish usually live in small schools, usually containing up to a dozen individuals. These schools consist of fish of similar sizes belonging to the same species. Individual schools are often grouped into larger schools, and in the most feeding areas, significant concentrations of flying fish, consisting of many schools, are sometimes formed.

Flying fish (as well as other garfish) are extremely characterized by a positive reaction to light. At night, flying fish are attracted by sources of artificial lighting (for example, ship lights, as well as special lights used to attract fish). They usually fly up to the light source over the water, often hitting the side of the boat, or slowly swim up to the lamp with their pectoral fins spread.

All flying fish feed on planktonic animals living in the surface layer, mainly small crustaceans and pteropods, as well as fish larvae. At the same time, flying fish themselves serve as important food for many predatory fish tropical ocean (coryphen, tuna, etc.), as well as squid and seabirds.

The species composition of flying fish varies markedly in coastal and offshore areas. There are species that are found only in the immediate vicinity of the coasts, others can go out into the open ocean, but return to the coastal zone to reproduce, and still others constantly inhabit the ocean expanses. The main reason for this division is different requirements for spawning conditions. Coast-breeding species lay their eggs, equipped with sticky thread-like appendages, on algae attached to the bottom or floating near the surface. Off the coast of Kyushu, for example, Japanese flying fish spawn in early summer. At this time, large schools of flying fish approach the shore in the evenings in places where there are thickets of algae, and gather at night at the bottom at a depth of about 10 m. During spawning, flying fish fly over the algae circular movements with spread pectoral fins, releasing eggs and milk. In this case, the water is colored greenish-milky over several tens of meters.

Oceanic flying fish usually use as a spawning substrate the small amount of floating material that is always available in the sea: various “fins” of coastal origin (drifting algae, branches and fruits of land plants, coconuts), feathers of birds and even siphonophore sailfish (Velella ), living on the surface of the water. Only “diptera” flies (genus Exocoetus) have floating eggs that have lost trailing filamentous outgrowths.

Flying fish have tasty meat and are actively used in fishing in some areas of the tropical and subtropical zones. For local consumption, these fish are caught in almost all tropical countries, and in a number of places there is also a special fishery, which is very often produced by artisanal methods.

On the islands of Polynesia, flying fish are caught with hooks, baited pieces of shrimp, as well as nets and nets, attracting fish to boats at night with the light of lit torches or lanterns. With the latter method, the flying fish themselves fly into the fishermen's nets. In the Philippine Islands, various net traps, gill nets and purse seines are used to catch flying fish, and fishing is usually carried out with a “drive”, when several special boats, scaring the fish, drive them towards the nets. Quite a significant fishery exists in India. There it is produced mainly during the spawning of flying fish using artificial floating spawning grounds (in the form of bundles of branches towed behind a boat), to which spawning fish gather and are then caught in nets.

Flying fish are also caught in China, Vietnam, Indonesia (where, in addition to catching the fish themselves, it is also practiced to collect their eggs deposited on coastal vegetation), on the islands Caribbean Sea and in other areas. The most significant fishery using modern methods fishing (drifter nets, purse seines, etc.) exists in Japan. The country's flying fish catch accounts for more than half of the world's catch.

Someone born to crawl cannot fly, but someone born to swim can do it! Flying fish Exocoetidae are a mystery of nature, in which there is nothing mysterious, given evolution and the fact that at the dawn of civilization we all came out of the world's oceans.

Flying fish are found in the warmest sea and ocean waters; there are 40 species of them, and in Barbados they are a national character. Japan, Vietnam and China, for which nothing is sacred in the fish world (however, this fish is not protected by ecologists), consider Exocoetidae commercial, and for pirates of the Caribbean they are a coveted delicacy.

How does a flying fish fly? Before takeoff, it quickly moves its tail 70 times before dashing to the surface. The body shape is similar to the fuselage of an airplane or, as it is otherwise called, torpedo-shaped to ensure streamlining and reduce air resistance. The aerodynamic properties of the fins-wings located on the ribs are also akin to the wing of an airplane and, in fact, the wing of a bird. The fish directs them slightly upward to provide lift, while it can catch rising air currents and thus fly 150 or even 300 meters. There are also flying fish equipped with two additional fins in the lower part of the body - these individuals can fly 400 meters. not worth it. At the end of the flight, the pectoral fins fold and the fish falls back into the water - or it can simply push off the surface with its tail and change direction.

What does it eat? Plankton and other small organisms.

Who is he afraid of? Flying fish are hunted by marlin, tuna, swordfish, mackerel and other large predators. There are also very dexterous birds with the offensive name of gannets, which have adapted to lie in wait for the moment when the flyers have to fly up from under the bow of a ship cutting a wave. However, Exocoetidae can quite deftly flee from all these hunters. But hiding or hiding from a person turns out to be more difficult. Fishermen specially go out to sea at night in boats illuminated by a lantern, because flying fish, like moths, fly towards the light - and as a result fall straight into the boat.

Flying fish Exocoetidae on video:

Flying fish have short jaws, and pectoral fins reach large sizes, commensurate with the length of the body. Nevertheless, they are very close to the lunars, from whose ancestors they originate. This closeness is manifested, in particular, in the fact that the fry of some species (for example, long-snouted flying fish- Fodiator acutus) have an elongated lower jaw and in appearance are quite similar to half-snouts. We can say that such flying fish go through a “half-snout stage” in their individual development.

Representatives of this family do not reach large sizes. The largest species is giant flying fish(Cheilopogon pinnatibarbatus) - can have a length of about 50 cm, and the smallest do not exceed 15 cm. The color of flying fish is quite typical for inhabitants of the near-surface layer of the open sea: their back is dark blue, and the lower part of the body is silver. The color of the pectoral fins is very diverse, which can be either plain (transparent, blue, green or brown) or variegated (spotted or striped).

Flying fish inhabit the waters of all warm seas, representing a characteristic element of the geographical landscape of the tropical ocean. This family has more than 60 species, grouped into 7 genera. The flying fish fauna of the Indo-West Pacific region is especially diverse, where there are more than 40 species belonging to this family. About 20 species of flying fish have been found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, but only 16 species in the Atlantic Ocean.

The distribution area of flying fish, roughly speaking, is limited to waters with temperatures above 20°C. Still, most species are found only in the warmest areas of the World Ocean at water temperatures above 23°C. The periphery of the tropical zone, subject to winter cooling, is characterized by only a few species of subtropical flying fish, sometimes found even at 16-18°C. In the warm season, single individuals of flying fish occasionally enter areas remote from the tropics. Off the coast of Europe, they are recorded all the way to the English Channel and even to southern Norway and Denmark, and in Soviet Far Eastern waters they are found in Peter the Great Gulf, where they were caught several times Japanese flying fish(Cheilopogon doederleinii).

The most characteristic feature of flying fish is their ability to fly, which apparently evolved as an adaptation to escape from predators. This ability is expressed in different genders to varying degrees. The habitat of such species of flying fish that have relatively short pectoral fins (among others, long-snouted bat Fodiator), less perfect than species with long “wings”. Moreover, the evolution of flight within the family apparently occurred in two directions. One of them led to the formation of “two-winged” flying fish, using only pectoral fins when flying, which reach very large sizes. A typical representative of “two-winged” flying fish, sometimes compared to monoplane airplanes, is common dipteran(Exocoetus volitans). Another direction is represented by “four-winged” flying fish (4 genera and about 50 species), which are likened to biplanes. The flight of these fish is carried out with the help of two pairs of bearing planes, since they have enlarged not only pectoral, but also ventral fins, and at the juvenile stages of development, both fins have approximately the same area. Both directions in the evolution of flight led to the formation of forms well adapted to life in the surface layers of the ocean. At the same time, in addition to the development of “wings”, adaptation to flight was reflected in flying fish in the structure of the caudal fin, the rays of which are rigidly connected to each other and the lower blade is very large compared to the upper, in the extraordinary development of a huge swim bladder, which continues under the spine until the tail , and in a number of other features.

The flight of “four-winged” flying fish reaches the greatest range and duration. Having developed considerable speed in the water, such a fish jumps to the surface of the sea and glides along it for some time (sometimes for a very short time) with its pectoral fins spread, vigorously accelerating its movement with the help of the oscillatory movements of the long lower blade of the caudal fin submerged in the water. While still in the water, the flying fish reaches a speed of about 30 km/h, and on the surface it increases it to 60-65 km/h. Then the fish lifts off the water and, spreading its pelvic fins, glides over its surface. In some cases, when flying, a flying fish sometimes touches the water with its tail and, by vibrating it, receives additional acceleration. The number of such touches can reach three or four, and in this case the duration of the flight naturally increases. Usually, a flying fish is in flight for no more than ten seconds and during this time flies several tens of meters, but sometimes the flight duration increases to 30 seconds, and its range reaches 200 and even 400 m. Apparently, the flight duration is to some extent depends on atmospheric conditions, since in the presence of weak winds or rising air currents, flying fish fly long distances and stay in flight longer.

All flying fish feed on planktonic animals living in the surface layer, mainly small crustaceans and pteropods, as well as fish larvae. At the same time, the flying fish themselves serve as important food for many predatory fish of the tropical ocean (coryphaen, tuna, etc.), as well as squid and seabirds.

The species composition of flying fish varies markedly in coastal and offshore areas. There are species that are found only in the immediate vicinity of the coasts, others can go out into the open ocean, but return to the coastal zone to reproduce, and still others constantly inhabit the ocean expanses. The main reason for this division is different requirements for spawning conditions. Coast-breeding species lay their eggs, equipped with sticky thread-like appendages, on algae attached to the bottom or floating near the surface. Off the coast of Kyushu, for example, Japanese flying fish spawn in early summer. At this time, large schools of flying fish approach the shore in the evenings in places where there are thickets of algae, and gather at night at the bottom at a depth of about 10 m. During spawning, flying fish make circular movements over the algae with spread pectoral fins, releasing eggs and milk. In this case, the water is colored greenish-milky over several tens of meters.

Oceanic flying fish usually use as a spawning substrate the small amount of floating material that is always available in the sea: various “fins” of coastal origin (drifting algae, branches and fruits of land plants, coconuts), feathers of birds and even siphonophore sailfish (Velella ), living on the surface of the water. Only “diptera” flies (from the genus Exocoetus) have floating eggs that have lost trailing filamentous outgrowths.

On the islands of Polynesia, flying fish are caught with hooks, baited pieces of shrimp, as well as nets and nets at night, attracting the fish to boats with the light of lit torches or lanterns. With the latter method, the flying fish themselves fly into the fishermen's nets. In the Philippine Islands, various net traps, gill nets and purse seines are used to catch flying fish, and fishing is usually carried out with a “drive”, when several special boats, scaring the fish, drive them towards the nets. Quite a significant fishery exists in India. There it is produced mainly during the spawning of flying fish using artificial floating spawning grounds (in the form of bundles of branches towed behind a boat), to which spawning fish gather and are then caught in nets. Flying fish are also caught in China, Vietnam, Indonesia (where, in addition to catching the fish themselves, it is also practiced to collect their eggs deposited on coastal vegetation), on the islands of the Caribbean Sea and in other areas. The most significant fishery using modern fishing methods (drift nets, purse seines, etc.) exists in Japan. The country's flying fish catch accounts for more than half of the world's catch.

Animal life: in 6 volumes. - M.: Enlightenment. Edited by professors N.A. Gladkov, A.V. Mikheev. 1970 .

- This term has other meanings, see Flying Fish (constellation). Flying fish... Wikipedia

Family of marine fish of the order Garfish. Length 15–55 cm. Over 70 species, in tropical and temperate waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. In Russia in the Sea of Japan. They “fly” over water up to 200 (sometimes up to 400) meters. An object… … encyclopedic Dictionary

FLYING FISH- Origin: Exocoetidae is a family of marine fish of the order Garfish, small pelagic, usually schooling fish. More than 60 species; length 15-50 cm. They have long pectoral, and some Flying Fish also abdominal, fins and an elongated lower blade... ... Marine encyclopedic reference book

- (Exocoetidae) family of fish of the order Garfish. Body length up to 45 cm. The pectoral fins are located high, very long and wide, an adaptation to soaring flight over water, which is a means of escape from pursuing predatory fish.… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Common dolper- (Exocoetus volitans) see also FLYING FISH FAMILY (EXOCOETIDAE) The common longfin has an oblong body, covered with large, easily falling round scales. The lateral line is located very low, almost along the edge of the abdomen. The head is small with... Pisces of Russia. Directory

- (Beloniformes), an order of ray-finned (see ray-finned FISH) fish. Known since the Eocene (see EOCENE DIVISION). 4 families and about 150 species, widely distributed in warm waters The world's oceans and fresh water bodies, in the upper layers of water. All garfish... encyclopedic Dictionary

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