Exocoetidae
The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird does, flying fish can make powerful, self-propelled leaps out of the water where their long wing-like fins enable gliding for considerable distances above the water's surface. The main reason for this behavior is thought to be to escape from underwater predators, which include swordfish, mackerel, tuna, and marlin, among others, though their periods of flight expose them to attack by avian predators such as frigate birds. Barbados is known as "the land of the flying fish", and the fish is one of the national symbols of the country. The Exocet missile is named after them, as variants are launched from underwater, and take a low trajectory, skimming the surface, before striking their targets. Etymology The term Exocoetidae is both the ...
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Exocoetus
''Exocoetus'' is a genus of flying fishes. It is a bony fish. The body is covered with cycloid scales. The mouth is wide, and the jaws bear teeth. It is a marine fish. The tail has hypobatic fins as the ventral lobe. Species Five species in this genus are recognized: * ''Exocoetus gibbosus'' Parin & Shakhovskoy, 2000 (oceanic flyingfish) * ''Exocoetus monocirrhus'' J. Richardson, 1846 (barbel flyingfish) * ''Exocoetus obtusirostris'' Günther, 1866 (oceanic two-wing flyingfish) * ''Exocoetus peruvianus'' Parin & Shakhovskoy, 2000 (Peruvian flyingfish) * ''Exocoetus volitans'' Linnaeus, 1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ... (tropical two-wing flyingfish) References Exocoetidae Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Beloniformes-stub ...
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