A Curious Tale: How Flying Fish Got Their Wings

What We Can't Sea

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How did flying fish get their wings? It's a curious tale and one that will intrigue and amaze you. Listen to find out how these fantastic creatures took to the skies.

It’s a breathtaking shot in many nature documentaries: scores of silver fish leaping from the ocean, using a set of wing-like translucent fins to prop themselves gracefully into the air. The captivating ability to glide in the air evolved multiple times in several fish lineages, most notably in some members of the order Beloniformes, commonly known as the “flying fish”. They were using the lift generated by their elongated pectoral fins, flying fish glide through the air to avoid aquatic predators in the open ocean. Much of this remarkable ability is owed to their unique fins, which are much longer relative to the rest of their fins.