FLYING FISH

      Flying fish live in schools in the open ocean in the tropical and temperate regions of the world.  These twelve-inch when adult fish are well-adapted to living in the open ocean, being stream-lined, and powerful swimmers.  They are gray on top and silvery below and on their flanks, which camouflages them on the surfaces of the oceans.  And above all, these intriguing creatures have large, wing-like front fins that allow them to glide through the air, low over the oceans.  Those pectoral fins are their greatest adaptation for survival.

     Flying fish don't fly.  Schools of them glide into the wind low over ocean swells when large, predatory fish pursue them.  To escape those fish, flying fish thrash their tails vigorously in the water to gain speed.  Then with more frantic tail-thrashing, they emerge from the water and sail along, into the wind for lift on their front fins, about ten miles per hour and up to six hundred feet before plunging back into the water where they continue to swim swiftly to escape predatory fish.  

     Long ago, some flying fish ancestors jumped from the water to escape the jaws of larger fish.  And some of those ancestors, by luck, had larger, stiffer front (pectoral) fins that the wind caught and gave them lift for a short distance.  Fish with larger, stiffer pectoral fins lived longer to reproduce, passing the genes for broad fins to their descendants.  Flying fish with small pectorals were the more likely to be eaten.  Now all flying fish have long, broad pectorals for gliding some distance. 

     However, some flying fish in the air get caught by frigate birds, boobies, albatrosses, and other kinds of big, predatory ocean birds that were following schools of flying fish and waiting for a chance to grab some of them in their beaks.

     There are about forty species of flying fish roaming all of Earth's open oceans, each kind in its own part of an ocean.  Each species consumes plankton mostly, which is abundant, tiny bits of plant and animal matter on the oceans' surfaces.  They also consume small crustaceans.  Each group of flying fish continually cruises its part of the open oceans to gather those food items.    

     Flying fish even spawn near the surfaces of the open oceans.  Each female spawns many eggs on protective, floating seaweed and debris in the open oceans.  Newly-hatched young also move across the open ocean to eat plankton.  

     Flying fish, like most forms of life, have special adaptations for survival, particularly their big, wide pectoral fins, which are unique to them.  The adaptations of life for survival, in each of its innumerable niches, help make life fascinating to study in every one of those niches.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

     During summer, over the years in southeastern Pennsylvania, I've seen many daddy-long-legs on the bark of tree trunks on lawns, and in parks and woods.  They blend into the color of tree bark well and are difficult to see.  Many people never see them at all until those camouflaged little critters are pointed out by people in the know about them.        Daddy-long-legs have eight, really long, thin legs, but they are not spiders.  But they are arachnids, and related to spiders.  These attractive, little creatures, called daddy-long-legs because of their long legs, have quarter-inch, compact bodies raised on stilt-like legs.  They have two dark eyes and feel the vibrations of birds and other predators with their legs.  But these arachnids have no venom, or silk to make webs.        Daddy-long-legs, like all other living beings, are part of several food chains.  They consume tiny invertebrates and decaying plant and animal materials they find on tree bark.  And, in turn, many of
Read more

SPRING ON THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE

      I visited the Upper Chesapeake Bay at the Community Park of Northeast, Maryland one afternoon about the middle of March a few years ago, as I had several times in different seasons before that day.  This time, I went there to spot migrating water birds of various kinds.        Because of their high numbers, gulls and ducks were the dominant birds on the ice, and strips of open water among the slabs of ice because of the warming weather in March.  Most of the handsome ring-billed, herring and great black-backed gulls stood picturesquely on slabs of ice.        The attractive, adult ring-billed and herring gulls are mostly gray on top, white below, and look much alike, except the herrings are larger and have a red mark on their beaks, whereas each ring-bill has a black "ring" around its bill.  Largest of these gulls, the stately, mature black-backs have black backs and upper wings and are white below, making a striking, attractive plumage pattern.        All three of thos
Read more

MY FAVORITE DRAGONFLIES

     Visibly active during summer months, white-tailed and twelve-spotted skimmers are common, related species of dragonflies living in southeastern Pennsylvania, and much of the United States.  These kinds of dragonflies have characteristics in common, which demonstrates their shared ancestry.  And they are my favorite dragonflies.   They are large enough to be easily seen in rapid flight, have attractive color patterns and are excitedly fast when sweeping low over cattail-bordered ponds, grass-lined, slow-moving creeks and bordering farmland after flying insects, including lots of mosquitoes, which they catch and eat.  And, interestingly, they hover like helicopters.  Dragonflies are thrilling, entertaining and inspiring to watch, without fear of being stung or bitten by them.  Their beauties and dashing flamboyance help make summer waters come to life.      Both these kinds of skimmers are two inches long and have three inch wing spans, making them quite visible in flight.  They are
Read more