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BootinUp

(50,840 posts)
3. The Exocoetidae are a family of marine ray-finned fish in the order Beloniformes,
Mon Dec 29, 2025, 08:42 PM
3 hrs ago

known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genera. While they do not "fly" in the same way a bird does, flying fish can make powerful leaps out of the water where their long wing-like fins enable gliding for considerable distances above the water's surface. The main reason for this behavior is thought to be to escape from underwater predators,[3][4][5] which include swordfish, mackerel, tuna, and marlin, among others,[6] though their periods of flight expose them to attack by avian predators such as frigate birds.

Barbados is known as "the land of the flying fish" and the fish is one of the national symbols of the country. The Exocet missile is named after them, as variants are launched from underwater, and take a low trajectory, skimming the surface, before striking their targets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_fish

erronis

(22,556 posts)
5. Thank you - now part of my non-parity-checked memory. I know octopuses will also leave
Mon Dec 29, 2025, 08:49 PM
3 hrs ago

the water to get up on dry land to escape predators.

Ain't evolution wonderful?
(I wouldn't be here without it, which is another reason to doubt the benefits of evolution....)

3Hotdogs

(14,998 posts)
2. I was expecting to see a fish surface, jump two or three feet and then go back down.
Mon Dec 29, 2025, 08:41 PM
3 hrs ago

The was about 100 yards of wing flapping.

EYESORE 9001

(29,432 posts)
6. I remember the first time I saw flying fish
Mon Dec 29, 2025, 08:54 PM
3 hrs ago

They were some 500 ft away from the ship, and at first I thought they were birds. I soon realized these ‘birds’ were disappearing beneath the waves, and that’s when I realized they were flying fish.

mahina

(20,380 posts)
8. Malolo in Hawaiian
Mon Dec 29, 2025, 09:00 PM
3 hrs ago

In Aotearoa - New Zealand- and in Raratonga they are called Maroro.

They are so cool!

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