{{short description|Family of marine fish that can make powerful, self-propelled leaps out of water}} {{Other uses}} {{distinguish|Raining fish}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = {{fossil range|50|0|Early Eocene to present|ref=<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fossilworks |title=Exocoetidae |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=266181 |access-date=2021-12-17 |archive-date=2021-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212222109/http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=266181 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} | image = sailfin flyingfish.jpg | image_caption = Sailfin flying-fish, ''Parexocoetus brachypterus'' | display_parents = 3 | taxon = Exocoetidae | authority = Risso, 1827<ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue =2 | pages = 001–230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See text }} 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. 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 paired fins act as aerofoils to generate lift and enable prolonged gliding for considerable distances above the water surface. The main reason for this behavior is thought to be to escape from underwater predators,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.bu.edu/bioaerial2012/2012/11/20/recent-discoveries-about-the-evolution-of-flying-fish/|title=Recent Discoveries about the Evolution of Flying Fish {{!}} Bio-Aerial Locomotion|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-01|archive-date=2019-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901131017/http://blogs.bu.edu/bioaerial2012/2012/11/20/recent-discoveries-about-the-evolution-of-flying-fish/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davenport |first1=John |title=How and why do flying fish fly? |journal=Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries |date=June 1994 |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=184–214 |doi=10.1007/BF00044128 |bibcode=1994RFBF....4..184D |s2cid=34720887 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/group/flying-fish/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702112716/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/group/flying-fish/|archive-date=July 2, 2017|title=Flying Fish {{!}} National Geographic|date=2010-04-11|website=Animals|access-date=2019-09-01}}</ref> which include swordfish, mackerel, tuna, and marlin, among others,<ref>{{cite book|title=Sealights|page=32|author=Cy Berlowitz|date=2016|publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-365-06141-7}}</ref> though their periods of flight expose them to attack by aerial predators such as frigatebirds.
Barbados is known as "the land of the flying fish" and the fish is one of the national symbols of the country. The French Exocet anti-ship missile is also named after them, as the missile can be launched from underwater, and take a low, sea-skimming trajectory before striking the targets.
== Etymology == The term ''Exocoetidae'' is both the scientific name and the general name in Latin for a flying fish. The suffix ''-idae'', common for indicating a family, follows the root of the Latin word {{lang|la|exocoetus}}, a transliteration of the Ancient Greek name {{lang|grc|ἐξώκοιτος}}. This means literally 'sleeping outside', from {{lang|grc|ἔξω}}, 'outside', and {{lang|grc|κοῖτος}}, 'bed', 'resting place', with the verb root {{lang|grc|κει-}}, 'to lie down',<ref>{{OEtymD|exocet}}</ref> so named as flying fish were believed to leave the water to sleep ashore,<ref>Pliny's ''Natural History'', vol. IX, chapter 34</ref> or due to flying fish flying and thus stranding themselves in boats.
==Taxonomy== The Exocoetidae is divided into four subfamilies and seven genera:<ref name = VDLEF/><ref name = Nelson5>{{cite book |title=Fishes of the World |edition=5th |author1=J. S. Nelson |author2=T. C. Grande |author3=M. V. H. Wilson |year=2016 |page=366 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-118-34233-6 |url=https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ |access-date=2020-01-10 |archive-date=2019-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408194051/https://sites.google.com/site/fotw5th/ }}</ref><ref name = CofF>{{Cof family|family=Exocoetidae|access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref>
* Subfamily Exocoetinae {{small|(Risso, 1827)}} ** Genus ''Exocoetus'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}} * Subfamily Fodiatorinae {{small|(Fowler, 1925)}} ** Genus ''Fodiator'' {{small|(D.S. Jordan & Meek, 1885)}} * Subfamily Parexocoetinae {{small|(Bruun, 1935)}} ** Genus ''Parexocoetus'' {{small|(Bleeker, 1865)}} * Subfamily Cypsellurinae {{small|(Hubbs, 1933)}} ** Genus ''Cheilopogon'' {{small|(Lowe, 1841)}} ** Genus ''Cypselurus'' {{small|(Swainson, 1838)}} ** Genus ''Hirundichthys'' {{small|(Breder, 1928)}} ** Genus ''Prognichthys'' {{small|(Breder, 1928)}} The earliest fossil flyingfish are known from the Early Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy. They include the genus ''Rhamphexocoetus'' <small>Bannikov ''et al''., 1985</small>, which appears to be transitional between halfbeaks and flyingfishes. Also known from the same deposits is "''Engraulis''" ''evolans'' <small>Agassiz, 1835</small>, which was previously thought to be an anchovy, but is now known to represent a juvenile flyingfish.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Carnevale |first1=G. |last2=Bannikov |first2=Alexandre F. |last3=Marramà |first3=G. |last4=Tyler |first4=James C. |last5=Zorzin. |first5=R. |date=2014 |title=The Bolca Fossil-Lagerstätte: A window into the Eocene World. 5. The Pesciara- Monte Postale Fossil-Lagerstätte: 2. Fishes and other vertebrates. Excursion guide |url=https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/149338/1/Carnevale%20et%20al%202014%20The%20Pesciara%20F-L.%20Fishes%20and%20other%20vertebrates2.pdf |journal=Rendiconti della Società Paleontologica Italiana |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=i–xxvii |hdl=10088/25678}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bannikov |first=A. F. |last2=Parin |first2=N. V. |last3=Pinna |first3=G. |date=1985 |title=''Rhamphexocoetus volans'', Gen. Et Sp. Nov. A New, Beloniform Fish (Beloniformes, Exocoetoidei) from the Lower Eocene of Italy |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/A-Bannikov/publication/282766381_Rhamphexocoetus_volans_gen_et_sp_nov_a_new_beloniform_fish_Beloniformes_Exocoetoidei_from_the_Lower_Eocene_of_Italy/links/561bbdbb08ae044edbb383e8/Rhamphexocoetus-volans-gen-et-sp-nov-a-new-beloniform-fish-Beloniformes-Exocoetoidei-from-the-Lower-Eocene-of-Italy.pdf |journal=Journal of Ichthyology |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=150-155}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grande |first=Lance |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/197640 |title=Interrelationships of fossil and recent anchovies (Teleostei, Engrauloidea) and description of a new species from the Miocene of Cyprus |last2=Grande |first2=Lance |date=1985 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |location=New York, N.Y}}</ref>
== Distribution and description == thumb|left|Flying fish thumb|Flying fish taking off
Flying fish live in all of the oceans, particularly in tropical and warm subtropical waters. They are commonly found in the epipelagic zone, the top layer of the ocean to a depth of about {{cvt|200|m|ft}}.
Numerous morphological features give flying fish the ability to leap above the surface of the ocean. One such feature is fully broadened neural arches, which act as insertion sites for connective tissues and ligaments in a fish's skeleton. Fully broadened neural arches act as more stable and sturdier sites for these connections, creating a strong link between the vertebral column and cranium.<ref name="auto1">{{cite journal |last1=Dasilao |first1=Juanito C. |last2=Yamaoka |first2=Kosaku |title=Development of the vertebral column and caudal complex in a flyingfish,Parexocoetus mento mento (Teleostei: Exocoetidae) |journal=Ichthyological Research |date=September 1998 |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=303–308 |doi=10.1007/BF02673928 |bibcode=1998IchtR..45..303D |s2cid=33251544 }}</ref> A steady glide will improve their flight duration and allow them to be above water. An unsteady glide will not impact their flight as much but will shorten their flight duration not much more than a steady flight. This also will vary based on their energy consumption.<ref>Kawachi, K., Inada, Y., & Azuma, A. (1993). ''Optimal Flight Path of Flying Fish''</ref> This ultimately allows a rigid and sturdy vertebral column (body) that is beneficial in flight. Having a rigid body during glided flight gives the flying fish aerodynamic advantages, increasing its speed and improving its aim.<ref name="auto1"/> Furthermore, flying fish have developed vertebral columns and ossified caudal complexes.<ref name="auto2">{{cite journal |last1=Dasilao |first1=Juanito C. |last2=Sasaki |first2=Kunio |title=Phylogeny of the flyingfish family Exocoetidae (Teleostei, Beloniformes) |journal=Ichthyological Research |date=January 1998 |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=347–353 |doi=10.1007/BF02725187 |bibcode=1998IchtR..45..347D |s2cid=24966029 }}</ref> These features provide the majority of strength to the flying fish, allowing them to physically lift their bodies out of water and glide remarkable distances. These additions also reduce the flexibility of the flying fish, allowing them to perform powerful leaps without weakening midair.<ref name="auto2"/> At the end of a glide, they fold their pectoral fins to re-enter the sea, or drop their tails into the water to push against the water to lift for another glide, possibly changing direction.<ref name=performance>{{cite journal |last1=Fish |first1=F. E. |title=Wing design and scaling of flying fish with regard to flight performance |journal=Journal of Zoology |date=July 1990 |volume=221 |issue=3 |pages=391–403 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1990.tb04009.x }}</ref><ref name=history>{{cite journal |last=Kutschera |first=U. |year=2005 |title=Predator-driven macroevolution in flyingfishes inferred from behavioural studies: historical controversies and a hypothesis |journal=Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology |volume=10 |pages=59–77 |url=http://www.evolutionsbiologen.de/flyingfishes.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820072237/http://www.evolutionsbiologen.de/flyingfishes.pdf |archive-date=2007-08-20 }}</ref> The curved profile of the "wing" is comparable to the aerodynamic shape of a bird wing.<ref name=fin>{{cite journal |last=Fish |first=F. |year=1991 |title=On a fin and a prayer |journal=Scholars |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=4–7 |url=http://darwin.wcupa.edu/~biology/fish/pubs/pdf/1991SOnafin.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102103320/http://darwin.wcupa.edu/~biology/fish/pubs/pdf/1991SOnafin.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-02 }}</ref> The fish is able to increase its time in the air by flying straight into or at an angle to the direction of updrafts created by a combination of air and ocean currents.<ref name=performance/><ref name=history/>
Species of genus ''Exocoetus'' have one pair of fins and streamlined bodies to optimize for speed, while ''Cypselurus'' spp. have flattened bodies and two pairs of fins, which maximize their time in the air. From 1900 to the 1930s, flying fish were studied as possible models used to develop airplanes.<ref name=history/>
The Exocoetidae feed mainly on plankton. Predators include dolphins, tuna, marlin, birds, squid, and porpoises.<ref name=history/>
=== Flight measurements === In May 2008, a Japanese television crew (NHK) filmed a flying fish (dubbed "Icarfish") off the coast of Yakushima Island, Japan. The fish spent 45 seconds in flight.<ref name=aa>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7410421.stm |title=Fast flying fish glides by ferry |date=May 20, 2008 |access-date=May 20, 2008 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The previous record was 42 seconds.<ref name=aa/>
The flights of flying fish are typically around {{cvt|50|m|ft}},<ref name="Piper 2034">Ross Piper (2007), ''Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals'', Greenwood Press.{{pn|date=October 2022}}</ref> though they can use updrafts at the leading edge of waves to cover distances up to {{cvt|400|m}}.<ref name="Piper 2034" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Flying Fish |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/flying-fish |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228002821/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/flying-fish |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |website=National Geographic |date=11 April 2010 }}</ref> They can travel at speeds of more than {{cvt|70|km/h}}.<ref name=history/> Maximum altitude is {{cvt|6|m}} above the surface of the sea.<ref name=fin/> Flying fish often accidentally land on the decks of smaller vessels.<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite book |author=Joseph Banks |url=http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/ozlit/pdf/p00021.pdf |title=The Endeavour Journal of Sir Joseph Banks 1768–1771 |year=1997 |publisher=University of Sydney Library |access-date=July 16, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = Churchill: Taken from the Diaries of Lord Moran|last = Moran|page = 819}}</ref>
== Fishery and cuisine == [[File:Flying fish for sale - Tokyo area Apr 11 2019 08-32 PM.jpeg|thumb|Dried flying fish for sale in Tokyo]] [[File:Makizushi.jpg|thumb|Sushi with ''tobiko'', or flying fish roe]]
Flying fish are commercially fished for in Japan, Vietnam, and China by gillnetting, and in Indonesia and India by dipnetting.<ref name=history/> Often in Japanese cuisine, the fish is preserved by drying to be used as fish stock for dashi broth. The roe of ''Cheilopogon agoo'', or Japanese flying fish, is used to make some types of sushi, and is known as {{transliteration|ja|tobiko}}. It is also a staple in the diet of the Tao people of Orchid Island, Taiwan. Flying fish is part of the national dish of Barbados, ''cou-cou'' and flying fish. The taste is close to that of a sardine.
thumb|Fried flying fish Flying fish roe is known as "cau-cau" in southern Peru, and is used to make several local dishes.{{fact|date=October 2022}}
In the Solomon Islands, the fish are caught while they are flying, using nets held from outrigger canoes. They are attracted to the light of torches. Fishing is done only when no moonlight is available.{{fact|date=October 2022}}
== Importance ==
=== Barbados === [[File:Flying fish for sale in local fish market.jpg|thumb|Flying fish for sale in local fish market of Saint Martin's Island, Bangladesh]] Barbados is known as "the land of the flying fish", and the fish is one of the national symbols of the country. Once abundant, it migrated between the warm, coral-filled Atlantic Ocean surrounding the island of Barbados and the plankton-rich outflows of the Orinoco River in Venezuela.{{fact|date=October 2022}}
Just after the completion of the Bridgetown Harbor / Deep Water Harbor in Bridgetown, Barbados had an increase of ship visits, linking the island to the world. The overall health of the coral reefs surrounding Barbados suffered due to ship-based pollution. Additionally, Barbadian overfishing pushed them closer to the Orinoco delta, no longer returning to Barbados in large numbers. Today, the flying fish only migrate as far north as Tobago, around {{convert|120|nmi|abbr=on}} southwest of Barbados. Despite the change, flying fish remain a coveted delicacy.{{fact|date=October 2022}}
Many aspects of Barbadian culture center around the flying fish; it is depicted on coins, as sculptures in fountains, in artwork, and as part of the official logo of the Barbados Tourism Authority. Additionally, the Barbadian coat of arms features a pelican and dolphinfish on either side of the shield, but the dolphinfish resembles a flying fish. Furthermore, actual artistic renditions and holograms of the flying fish are also present within the Barbadian passport.{{fact|date=October 2022}}
==== Maritime disputes ==== {{details|Barbados v. Trinidad and Tobago}} Flying fish have also been gaining in popularity in other islands, fueling several maritime disputes. In 2006, the council of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Permanent Court of Arbitration |date=April 11, 2006 |url=http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp?pag_id=1152 |title=Barbados/Trinidad and Tobago |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602000952/http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp?pag_id=1152 |archive-date=2010-06-02 }}</ref> fixed the maritime boundaries between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago over the flying fish dispute, which gradually raised tensions between the neighbours.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Claims-of-Caribbean-piracy-as-national-symbol-takes-flight/2004/12/17/1102787277205.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=Claims of Caribbean piracy as national symbol takes flight | date=December 18, 2004}}</ref> The ruling stated both countries must preserve stocks for the future. Barbadian fishers still follow the flying fish southward.
===Indonesia=== Makassar fishermen in south Sulawesi have been catching flying fish (''torani'') in special boats called ''patorani'' for centuries developing their own sailing traditions along the way. These fishermen were able to sail as far as Kimberley region in west of Australia reaching the indigenous people there.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Demmallino |first1=Eymal B. |last2=M. Saleh S. Ali |title=Patorani: Occultness, religiosity, and environmentally friendly technology of the flying fish hunters |journal=Journal of Asian Rural Studies |date=2018 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=73–84 |doi=10.20956/jars.v2i1.1366|doi-access=free }}</ref> The Indosiar channel was also prominently featured a flying fish in its logo during commercial breaks and on its ident only from 2000 to 2012.
== Prehistoric analogues == {{Multiple image | image1 = Italopterus magnificus 3.jpg | image2 = Cheirothrix libanicus 8.jpg | caption2 = ''Thoracopterus'' (above) and ''Cheirothrix'' (below), two different Mesozoic analogues for flying fish | direction = vertical }} The oldest known fossil of a flying or gliding fish are those of the extinct family Thoracopteridae, dating back to the Middle Triassic, 235–242 million years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Subbaraman |first1=Nidhi |date=31 October 2012 |title=Oldest flying fish fossil found in China |journal=Nature |doi=10.1038/nature.2012.11707 |s2cid=131398231}}</ref> However, they are thought to be basal neopterygians and are not related to modern flying fish, with the wing-like pectoral fins being convergently evolved in both lineages.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Guang-Hui |last2=Zhao |first2=Li-Jun |last3=Gao |first3=Ke-Qin |last4=Wu |first4=Fei-Xiang |date=7 January 2013 |title=A new stem-neopterygian fish from the Middle Triassic of China shows the earliest over-water gliding strategy of the vertebrates |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=280 |issue=1750 |article-number=20122261 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2012.2261 |pmc=3574442 |pmid=23118437 }}</ref> Similarly, the Cheirothricidae of the Late Cretaceous also similarly evolved wing-like pectoral fins that were likely also used for gliding, but are indeterminate eurypterygians; they are possibly Aulopiformes, which would make them most closely related to lizardfish.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Dietze |first=Kathrin |date=2009-06-01 |title=Morphology and phylogenetic relationships of certain neoteleostean fishes from the Upper Cretaceous of Sendenhorst, Germany |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667108001559 |journal=Cretaceous Research |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=559–574 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2008.11.001 |bibcode=2009CrRes..30..559D |issn=0195-6671|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== See also == * Flying and gliding animals * Neuston * Tradeoffs for locomotion in air and water
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Exocoetidae}} {{Wikisource1911Enc|Flying-fish}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071017191701/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/printable/flying-fish.html Flying Fish, National Geographic Society]
{{Diversity of fish}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q183686}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Exocoetidae Category:Beloniformes Category:Gliding animals Category:Fish of Oceania Category:Marine fish of Africa Category:Marine fish of Asia Category:Fish of Hawaii Category:Fish of Japan Category:Extant Miocene first appearances Category:Miocene fish Category:Quaternary fish Category:Barbadian cuisine