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This bird is a fish

Klaus EsterlußDecember 3, 2014

Flying fish can perform self-propelled leaps out of water and into the air. But there's a lot more to them than just that.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DymZ
Bildergalerie Fliegende Fische
Image: Soheil Soleimani

You will never forget the first time you see a flying fish gliding above the surface of the water, almost like a bird. They may not be particularly rare - flying fish live in every ocean, although they prefer tropical and sub-tropical waters, and also in the Mediterranean Sea - but still they make for a spectacular sight as they leap gracefully out of the sea.

Here are some interesting figures: Once out of the water, flying fish can stay in the air for up to 45 seconds, traveling distances of more than 50 meters (164 ft) and sometimes even up to an amazing 400m (1,312ft). Their speed is also impressive. The fish can reach a velocity of more than 70 km/h (43 mph) at 6m (20 ft) above the surface of the sea (which makes them sometimes land on ship decks). The fish has evolved this amazing ability to enable it to escape the water and avoid predators.

Some more facts? Two species of flying fish were studied as possible models for airplanes. Genus Exocoetus, a fish with one pair of fins and a streamlined body to optimize speed, was one of them. The second is Cypselurus, a fish with a flattened body and two pairs of fins, which help to maximize its time in the air.

Despite their efforts to evade predators, they are sometimes unable to avoid the fishing net and in some parts of the world, flying fish become part of the menu. They are fished in Japan, Vietnam and China, and also in Indonesia and India. In Japanese cuisine, the fish is often preserved by drying. In Barbados, it is also part of the national dish - cou-cou and flying fish. Speaking of Barbados, the island is known as the "the land of the flying fish" - the fish is even featured as one of the country's national symbols.