? Flyingfishes
Sailfin flyingfish (Parexocoetus brachypterus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Beloniformes Family: Exocoetidae
Genera
Cheilopogon Cypselurus Danichthys Exocoetus Fodiator Hirundichthys Oxyporhamphus Parexocoetus Prognichthys

The Exocoetidae or flyingfishes are a marine fish family comprising about 70 species grouped in 7 to 9 genera. Flyingfish are found in all the major oceans, mainly in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to take short gliding flights in order to escape predators. In some species the pelvic fins are also unusually large, so the fish appears to have four wings. Sailfin flyingfish (Parexocoetus brachypterus). ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Binomial name Aptenodytes forsteri Gray, 1844 For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Suborder Adrianichthyoidei Adrianichthyidae - Ricefishes Suborder Belonoidei Superfamily Scomberesocoidea Belonidae - Needlefishes Scomberesocidae - Scauries Superfamily Exocoetoidea Exocoetidae - Flyingfishes Hemiramphidae - Halfbeaks Beloniformes is an order of ray-finned fish most notable for the flyingfishes and medakas. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus: the most abundant species of fish in the world. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ...

To prepare for a glide, the fish swim rapidly close to the surface of the water, with their fins close to the body. As they leave the water, they spread their fins. The caudal fin is usually deeply forked, with the lower lobe longer than the upper. The fish rapidly move the lower lobe to propel themselves forward once the rest of the body has already left the water. Eventually, even the tail leaves the water and the fish are airborne. They do not flap their "wings". In gliding, flyingfish can almost double their speed, reaching speeds up to 60 km/h. The glides are usually up to 30-50 metres in length, but some have been observed soaring for hundreds of metres using the updraft on the leading edges of waves. The fish can also make a series of glides, each time dipping the tail into the water to produce forward thrust. Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs light more than does air. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ...

Band-wing flyingfish Cheilopogon exsiliens, with large pectoral and pelvic fins

Most species reach a maximum length of 30 cm, though a few may be as long as 45 cm. The eyes are flatter than normal fish eyes in order to see above the surface. Flyingfish live close to the water surface and feed on plankton. Image File history File links The Band-wing flyingfish, Cheilopogon exsiliens. ... Image File history File links The Band-wing flyingfish, Cheilopogon exsiliens. ... Photomontage of plankton organisms For the Spongebob SquarePants character, see Sheldon J. Plankton. ...

Flyingfish, often preserved by drying, are a staple of the Tao people of Orchid Island. The roe of the flyingfish (Tobiko) is used in Japanese cuisine to make some types of sushi. Old photo of the Tao people on the shore of Orchid Island, ca. ... Old photo of the people of Orchid Island, near Taiwan published in a Japanese colonial government publication, ca. ... Salmon roe at the Shiogama seafood market in Japan Look up Roe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Roe is the fully ripe egg masses of fish and certain marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins and shrimp. ... Tobiko is the Japanese word for the flying fish roe used to create certain types of sushi. ... There are many views of what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. ... In Japanese cuisine, sushi (鮨 or 鮓 or, most commonly, 寿司) is a food made of vinegared rice combined with a topping or filling of fish, seafood, vegetables, or egg. ...

The term Exocoetidae comes from the Greek εξω-κοιτος = "lying down outside", "sleeping under the stars", and refers to the common occurrence of stranded flying fish lying in boats. The Exocet guided missile is presumably named after these fish. There are also three ships of the United States Navy named USS Flying Fish. In older English literature there are some uses of exocet to mean flying fish. The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile made in various versions capable of being launched from surface ships and boats, submarines, and airplanes. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations around the globe. ... Three ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Flying Fish, named in honor of the flying fish, any of number of fishes of tropic and warm temperate seas whose long winglike fins make it possible for them to move some distance through the air. ...

Flying Fish by Herbert James Draper, 1910

Image File history File links Draper-Flying_Fish. ... Lament for Icarus, 1898 Herbert James Draper (1863 - 1920) was an English painter in the Victorian era. ...

External links

• Fishbase entry for flyingfish
• Oceanlink Flyingfish