Surely, many of you have often admired and marveled at the wonders of the living world. Sometimes it seems that nature has played a trick on many animals, birds and other creatures: mammals that lay eggs; viviparous reptiles; birds swimming under water, and … flying fish. In this article, we will focus on our smaller brothers, who successfully conquered not only the abyss of water, but also the space above it.
Flying fish: distribution area
The family of these wonderful fish has more than sixty species that are found in all the southern seas. The Indo-Ocean region has forty species, twenty live in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. One of them can be found in the seas near Europe (up to the Scandinavian countries). In the waters washing the coast of Russia, Japanese flying fish are often caught.
General Description
Despite the fact that this family is quite large, we note that all types of flying fish have certain characteristic similarities. So,they have a short jaw, and the pectoral fins are very large (commensurate with the length of the body). Since these fish live in the upper layers of the open sea, their back is painted in a dark color, and the abdomen is silver-gray.
Fins come in both variegated colors (bright blue, green, yellow) and plain. And of course, they all share the ability to fly. Most likely, this feature developed as a means of escape from predators. And it should be noted that many of them learned quite well to "flutter" over the waters of the seas and oceans. Fish with long pectoral fins soar much better and more perfectly than their counterparts with short pectoral fins. In the course of evolution, flying fish were divided into "two-winged" and "four-winged". "Dipterans" use only pectoral fins during "flight", which are very large in them. Their movement in the air can be compared to the flight of a monoplane. In "four-winged" fish, the means for flight are the four planes of the pectoral fins. The flight of such "sea fliers" is comparable to the flight of a biplane. Before breaking out of the water and “flying”, the fish picks up speed and jumps out of the water, gliding in free flight. At the same time, she does not wave her fins, like wings, and cannot change the direction of soaring. The flight lasts up to forty seconds. Flying fish are mainly united in small flocks, numbering only a few dozen individuals. But sometimes small groups unite in huge shoals. They feed on plankton, small crustaceans and small insects. Spawning occurs in each species at different times of the year, depending on the habitat. Before spawning, the fish make circular movements over the algae, and then release milk and caviar. A thin hair is attached to each egg, with which, floating on the surface of the water, it clings to all kinds of debris: bird feathers, dead algae, branches, coconuts, and even some jellyfish. This makes it possible not to blur the caviar over long distances. Flying fish (you see the photo in the article) is an amazing creature. Some representatives of this family will be presented below.
Battfish
The bat fish has two more names - it is a bat fish, or a shovel fish. She received so many names due to the shape of the body (it has a rounded shape and is completely flat) and fins (in young individuals they are very developed and in appearance resemble the wings of the mammals of the same name). Habitat - waters of the Red Sea. The body of this fish (as mentioned above) is round in shape, bright silver in color with dark stripes, and also very flat. They live in small flocks, from time to time rushing to the bottom of the sea in search of food.
And not so long ago, an amazing fish was discovered in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which was also given the name "bat". But she does not know how to fly at all, but moves along the ocean floor on four fins, very similar to the membranous wings of her mammalian namesakes. The view of this miracle of nature is no less amazing: a flattened body, big eyes, a huge snub-nosednose and huge lips are bright red. The body is covered with dark spots. Here is such a Pacific beauty. Perhaps later it will be given a different name.
Japanese flying fish
The second name is the long-winged Far East. This fish has an elongated long body. The back is dark blue and fairly wide, the belly is light silver. The fins are long and well developed. The dimensions of the dinowing are quite large - 36 cm. It lives in the Sea of Japan south of the island of Hokkaido. This is a heat-loving species, but sometimes swims into the waters of Primorye. Spawns along coastlines from April to October. It is a commercial fish, which is not only used in local cuisine, but also exported to other countries.
Atlantic flying fish
The second name is northern flying fish. This is the only representative of flying fish that swim in the seas of Europe. The coloration of this species is almost the same as that of the Japanese relatives. Distinguishing features: well-developed pectoral and ventral fins of light gray color, along which runs a transverse white stripe.
The dorsal fin is much longer than the anal. Spawns from May to July. On the surface of the water, long white threads stretch from the eggs. The fry have a fringed barbel on their chin, which eventually falls off. Atlantic flying fish are thermophilic, so they swim in the northern seas only in the summer months and stay there until the onset of cold weather.
Flying Sailorfish
This is a very rare fish. It was first discovered in the waters of Peter the Great Bay in 2005year. Her body is elongated, slightly flattened on the sides. The head is obtuse, four times smaller than the body. The pectoral fins are short and extend beyond the bases of the dorsal fins. It should be noted that this fish was caught only once. Therefore, there is still very little information about her.
Industrial value
Flying fish meat is very tasty, and therefore it is of great industrial importance. But not only meat, but also caviar. Flying fish caviar (tobiko is its name) takes pride of place in Japanese national cuisine.
Many dishes cannot do without it. In addition to excellent taste, flying fish caviar and meat are very useful. They contain about 30% protein; essential acids; phosphorus; potassium, necessary for the normal functioning of the heart and muscular system; vitamins D, C and A; all vitamins of group B. Therefore, this fish is recommended to be eaten by people who have had a serious illness, as well as pregnant women and engaged in heavy physical labor.
Tobiko caviar
Flying fish caviar in Japan is called tobiko. It is widely used in national cuisine. The preparation of the famous sushi, rolls and Japanese salads is not complete without it. Caviar color is bright orange. But you probably met green or black tobiko caviar on the shelves of supermarkets or in Japanese restaurants. This unusual color is achieved through the use of natural dyes, such as wasabi juice or cuttlefish ink.
Flying fish caviarsomewhat dry, but the Japanese simply adore it and can eat it with spoons without additions. In addition, it is very high in calories: 100 g of caviar contains 72 kcal. This is the most valuable energy product, especially recommended for pregnant women and children. The processing technology has remained unchanged for more than five hundred years. First, the caviar is soaked in a special sauce, and then dyed or left in its natural color, which can be enhanced with ginger juice. Green caviar of flying fish, as well as other colors, hits our shelves in the form of canned food. And, by the way, it's not cheap. All over the world, this caviar is considered a delicacy. And if you decide to cook something from Japanese cuisine, the question: “How much does flying fish caviar cost?” - will be very relevant to you. So, for half a kilo of red tobiko you will pay about 700 rubles, and for a hundred grams of green caviar about 300 rubles.
Benefits and contraindications
But despite their usefulness, the meat and caviar of flying fish still have some contraindications. The fact is that all seafood, and especially caviar, are highly allergenic.
Because people prone to allergic reactions should stop eating this seafood delicacy. Here is such an amazing creature that lives on our planet - a miracle of nature that has conquered two elements - air and water. Scientists are puzzled, because they have to learn a lot more about this fish. And for us to sit comfortably with a jar of green caviar and think that nature is truly unpredictable and amazing.
