Flying fish

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 belong to the family Exocoetidae, a group of saltwater ray-finned fish within the order Beloniformes, comprising about 64 species across seven genera. They do not truly fly like birds but instead launch themselves from the water using powerful leaps, propelled by their long, wing-like pectoral fins that function as aerofoils to generate lift and sustain prolonged glides over considerable distances. This behavior primarily serves as an escape mechanism from underwater predators such as swordfish, mackerel, tuna, and marlin, though it exposes them to aerial hunters like frigatebirds. Their bodies are adapted for this; broadened neural arches create sturdy attachment points for connective tissues, linking the vertebral column and cranium into a rigid structure that enhances aerodynamic stability and speed. At the end of a glide, they fold their fins to re-enter the sea or dip their tails to push off the water for another glide, sometimes changing direction. The curved profile of their fins resembles a bird’s wing, and they can exploit updrafts from air and ocean currents to extend flight. Species in the genus Exocoetus have one pair of fins and streamlined bodies for speed, while Cypselurus species possess flattened bodies and two pairs of fins to maximize airtime. From 1900 to the 1930s, flying fish were studied as potential models for airplane development. They feed mainly on plankton and are preyed upon by dolphins, tuna, marlin, birds, squid, and porpoises. Flights typically cover about 50 meters, but can reach up to 400 meters using wave updrafts, at speeds exceeding 70 km/h and altitudes up to 6 meters. The earliest known fossils come from the Early Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy, including the transitional genus Rhamphexocoetus. Flying fish are commercially fished in Japan, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and India using gillnets or dipnets. Their roe, notably from Cheilopogon agoo, is used in Japanese sushi as tobiko, and the fish itself is preserved for dashi broth. In Barbados, the fish is a national symbol and part of the national dish, cou-cou and flying fish. The French Exocet anti-ship missile is named after them, referencing its underwater launch and 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.