Oceanic two-wing flyingfish
The Oceanic two-wing flyingfish is a fascinating marine species known for its remarkable ability to glide through the air. Typically growing to about eight inches (20 centimeters), these fish possess large pectoral fins that function as wings, allowing them to leap out of the water and glide for several seconds to evade predators such as dolphinfish and tuna. Their bodies are characterized by a silvery gray coloration, deep blunt heads, and elongated pectoral fins that assist in both swimming and gliding.
Inhabiting the waters of the Gulf Stream, from New Jersey to Florida and extending to Brazil, oceanic two-wing flyingfish are omnivorous, feeding on a diverse diet that includes smaller fish, crabs, and zooplankton. They utilize their gillrakers to filter zooplankton from the water, showcasing their unique feeding adaptations. Reproduction occurs through a spawning process where females release eggs at the water's surface, which are then fertilized by males, with the resulting larvae drifting down to hatch in the water column. With a lifespan of around one year, oceanic two-wing flyingfish are not considered a threatened species, contributing to the rich biodiversity of their marine ecosystems.
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Oceanic two-wing flyingfish
Like other flying fish, oceanic two-wing flying fish use their large pectoral, or side, fins as wings. They swim very quickly through the water to give themselves enough speed to lift onto the wind. Once out of the water, they glide on the wind. Oceanic two-wing flying fish never flap their fins as wings, they only glide.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Beloniformes
Family: Exocoetidae
Genus: Exocoetus
Species: Obtusirostris
Oceanic two-wing flying fish generally grow to about eight inches (20 centimeters), although they can grow larger. Their bodies are silvery gray with low, unpigmented, or clear, dorsal, or back, fins. Their heads are deep and blunt, while their bodies are full and rounded. Oceanic two-wing flying fish have especially long pectoral, or side, fins. Like other flying fish, they use these fins as wings when they are gliding. Young oceanic two-wing flying fish have a humpbacked appearance.
Oceanic two-wing flying fish use their fins to swim and to glide. Their dorsal and anal, or back and belly, fins serve to balance them whether in the water or in the air. Their deeply forked caudal, or tail, fins move from side to side helping to propel them through the water. These fins move especially quickly when oceanic two-wing flying fish are preparing to glide. They beat from side to side increasing the fish's speed, until they are able to lift completely out of the water. Once in the air, the fish do not flap their wings, but instead glide on the wind for a few seconds before returning to the water. Oceanic two-wing flying fish typically only leave the water when trying to escape predators like dolphinfish, tuna, mackerel, squid, and porpoises. Often a predator will swim quickly alongside a flying fish and wait for it to return to the water. When in the water, oceanic two-wing flying fish use their long pectoral fins along with their smaller pelvic fins to paddle them through the water.
Like other fish, oceanic two-wing flying fish need oxygen to survive. Since they do not have lungs and cannot breathe oxygen through the air, they have to find the oxygen they need in the water in which they live. They take water into their mouths, use the oxygen they need, and then release the waste chemicals out through the gills on the sides of their heads.
Oceanic two-wing flying fish inhabit waters of the Gulf Stream from New Jersey to Florida and from the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil.
Oceanic two-wing flying fish are omnivorous creatures. This means they feed mostly on a diet of meat but also eat plants. Their diet consists of a variety of sea life including crabs, smaller fish, insects, insect larvae, and small, floating animals known as zooplankton. Oceanic two-wing flying fish catch zooplankton by filtering it through their gillrakers. They take in mouthfuls of water and as the water filters out of their gills, the zooplankton remains in their mouths. Oceanic two-wing flyish fish also eat plankton.
Mating season for oceanic two-wing flying fish is unknown. The females release their eggs near the surface of the water. The males then swim over the eggs and fertilize them. This process of releasing and fertilizing eggs is known as spawning. Fertilized oceanic two-wing flying fish eggs drift down into the water. Since the ocean is very deep, they always hatch before reaching the bottom. These young may be brighter in color than their parents and may each have a long barbel, or whisker, hanging from their chins.
The life span of oceanic two-wing flying fish is around one year. They are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
“Oceanic Two-Wing Flyingfish.” US Fish & Wildlife Service, www.fws.gov/species/oceanic-two-wing-flyingfish-exocoetus-obtusirostris. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. “Shorefishes - The Fishes.” Shorefishes - The Fishes - Species, 2023, biogeodb.stri.si.edu/caribbean/en/thefishes/species/3336. Accessed 6 May 2024.