Flying fish
Saltwater fish that glide above the ocean surface.
The Exocoetidae are a family of saltwater ray-finned fish in the order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod, with about 64 species in seven genera. They are notable for their ability to make powerful leaps out of the water, using their long, wing-like paired fins as aerofoils to generate lift and glide considerable distances above the surface. This behavior is primarily thought to be a means of escaping underwater predators such as swordfish, mackerel, tuna, and marlin, though it exposes them to aerial predators like frigatebirds. The fish are found in all oceans, particularly in tropical and warm subtropical waters, and are commercially fished in several countries, including Japan, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and India.
- Scientific name
- Exocoetidae
- Number of species
- About 64
- Number of genera
- Seven
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Habitat
- Epipelagic zone of tropical and warm subtropical oceans
- Maximum recorded flight time
- 45 seconds
Lore & Background
The name Exocoetidae derives from the Latin exocoetus, a transliteration of the Ancient Greek ἐξώκοιτος, meaning 'sleeping outside', so named because flying fish were believed to leave the water to sleep ashore or because they would fly and strand themselves in boats. The family is divided into four subfamilies and seven genera: Exocoetus, Fodiator, Parexocoetus, Cheilopogon, Cypselurus, Hirundichthys, and Prognichthys. The earliest known fossil flying fish come from the Early Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy, including the genus Rhamphexocoetus, which appears transitional between halfbeaks and flying fishes.
Reader's Guide
Flying fish hold cultural and economic significance in several regions. Barbados is known as 'the land of the flying fish', and the fish is a national symbol, appearing on coins, sculptures, artwork, the logo of the Barbados Tourism Authority, and even the Barbadian passport. The fish is part of the national dish of Barbados, cou-cou and flying fish. In Japan, the roe of Cheilopogon agoo is used to make tobiko sushi. The French Exocet anti-ship missile is named after the flying fish, as the missile can be launched from underwater and take a low, sea-skimming trajectory.
Did You Know?
- Flying fish can glide for up to 45 seconds, as filmed by a Japanese television crew off Yakushima Island in May 2008.
- The French Exocet anti-ship missile is named after flying fish because it can be launched from underwater and skim the sea surface.
- The oldest known fossil of a flying or gliding fish belongs to the extinct family Thoracopteridae, dating to the Middle Triassic, but these are not related to modern flying fish.
- Flying fish are commercially fished using gillnets in Japan, Vietnam, and China, and dipnets in Indonesia and India.
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