Flying Fish

EXOCOETIDAE, aptly known as FLYING FISH, are a marine fish family comprising about 64 species grouped in seven to nine genera. Flying fish are found in all of the major oceans, particularly in the warm tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Their most striking feature is their pectoral fins, which are unusually large, and enable the fish to hide and escape from predators by leaping out of the water, taking short glided flights through air just above the water's surface. Their glides are typically around 50 m (160 ft), but they can use updrafts at the leading edge of waves to cover distances of at least 400 m (1,300 ft). In order to glide upward out of the water, a flying fish moves its tail to up to 70 times per second.