The Evolution of Flying Fish

Flying Fish are able to glide above the surface of the water for incredible distances, but why do they do this? And how did this ability evolve?
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[@limegrass6194]

If flying fish achieve powered flight, then I would imagine them being reverse dolphins: flying in the air and returning to the water for oxygen.

[@groundon462]

Have you ever heard of the future is wild? Because many of the episodes contain flying fish called flish.

[@limegrass6194]

@@groundon462 ah yes, I watch every episode on KZbin. I even watched the animated kids series where they reused the same creatures from the speculative document.

[@davidboyd5155]

Saw these while fishing off Grand Bahama. Fascinating creatures. I didn't even care that I didn't catch anything.

[@matushonko7223]

afraid flight is too energy demanding for this to work, we might see an atmospheric breathing system of sorts emerging though- still unlikely as the more primitive hearts and nervous system would likely prohibit such transition

[@zJoriz]

@@matushonko7223 Speaking of which... how do flying fish breathe while airborne? Do they trap some water inside and use that?

[@therealzilch]

It's not possible to not love flying fish. Thanks for another fascinating program, Ben.

[@WobblesandBean]

I adore them. I used to love taking the ferry to Catalina island, watching the flying fish jump out if the boat's wake 💜

[@rahul7270]

Totally agreed. I've yet to see them in real but I really want to, especially the smaller ones with those beautifully coloured fins.

[@claysoggyfries]

Until they smack you in the face

[@JcoleMc]

He forgot about the japanese flying squid

[@SchiwiM]

As a child i thought a flying fish is made up and just some kind of fabulous creature, lol

[@DGFTardin]

The real treat is to hear someone say "aerodynamic fish" and it actually being right for once!

[@sebastianortega1938]

Well.... whether it is aero or hydro, they're both just fluid dynamics related topics. The main difference is the medium........ and uh, that one kills you if you don't go fast enough so you crash while the other kills you if you go too deep (contrary to popular belief, this is not because of the pressure crushing your submarine but because you're being devoured by Cthulhu #SciFacts).

[@yungglowe8622]

For once.. How many times have you heard that?

[@DGFTardin]

Plenty of times actually, and it doesn't stop on fish either. I've heard of aerodynamic sharks (ok a type of fish), dolphins, seals, polar bears, tadpoles... you get the picture.

[@sebastianortega1938]

@@DGFTardin well, tbh Dumbo *IS* an aerodynamic elephant.... so who knows! Aerodynamic dolphins, bears, tadpoles... everything is possible!

[@andrewlankford9634]

If it starts out hydrodynamic, it can't be too far off from being aerodynamic. As an old boss would say, it's synergy.

[@tomate4273]

Thank you for writing their names on the screen now!!

[@firegator6853]

These fish are not flying..... *they are falling with style*

[@unclekanethetiberiummain1994]

Falling with extra steps.

[@amaama2537]

Toy story reference

[@xxXthekevXxx]

Philip Turner relax, it’s a joke mate 👍

[@maniacram]

Lord Frieza That’s a prerequisite to actual flight

[@pmmeyourdadjokes9811]

we’re not aiming for the sea

[@JacobBite]

I see no reason for birds to go extinct in the future, they're just too successful. The future of flying fish is uncertain for sure, but interesting.

[@boygenius538_8]

No one is safe from extinction, birds don’t have to go extinct for fish to gain flight. Birds developed while pterosaurs were still thriving, and bats while birds were still flying. I see no reason for fish to begin flying in a couple million years and carve out new niches whether or not birds go extinct.

[@echidnaralsei1473]

fly fish are distributed all over the tropics and even parts of subtropics, i think they have time to improve. i hope they develop an adaptation against avians, like upright eyes. they can already greatly sense predators ambushing bellow em, they just got to be weary of above.

[@lucasb9285]

Fish dont dominate the ocea, i see flying being predators in similar behaviur to dolphins except the glide above the water and going in to hunt or get prey

[@bowenmadden6122]

Well, pterodactyls were highly successful, too, but then Earth changed suddenly. ☄️

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

Why should we limit ourselves to flish? Why not dragonflish?

[@FirstDagger]

@ariannasv22 ; "According to the legend, carps that leap over a legendary waterfall, referred to as the Dragon Gate, are transformed into dragons." That is why Magikarp "evolves" into Gyarados in Pokemon.

[@Giganfan2k1]

Ibn4 flying fish being proto wyverns.

[@DrunkenPilotVideos]

No one has seen James Cameron's Avatar??

[@o_o-037]

There actually is a Dragonfish, it's a Relative of the Seahorse.

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

I never realised how good they actually looked beautiful.

[@nicosmind3]

Id imagine just the behaviour of jumping out of water when danger was around helped individuals survive over those that didnt. And perhaps predators would trying snatch some as they left the water which then allowed individuals who traveled further to survive. Nature is amazing

[@Alias_Anybody]

The issue with the concept of the "Flish" is not only the fact that birds already occupy that niche - the more significant problem is breathing. Active flying requires way too much oxygen to do a reverse marine mammals and just frequently dive into the water and store it. It's questionable if it's possible to develop lungs and body structures sophisticated enough for flight in an oceanic habitat.

[@Raison_d-etre]

There are birds that don't fly well or at all, but rather do better in water.

[@jayparris2508]

@@Raison_d-etre There's also fish that have lungs and/or specialised gills that can survive for long periods of time out of water. With enough time and the right circumstances who knows what might evolve from the fish species that are around today.

[@andrewkawam2603]

First of all, if you watch 'The Future is Wild', they explain that Flish only evolved after the extinct of birds (also mentioned at 8:46). Second, modern oceanic ray-finned fish actually possess a swim bladder that were originally lungs in the freshwater ancestors of most of the modern forms, which were some of the few types of fish left over after the Late Devonian Mass Extinction obliterated the gigantic placoderms, which lacked primitive lungs. In many ray-finned fish today, such as the tarpon, this organ has been re-adapted to be used by them as a simple lung too. Also, many species of eel, like the electric eel, are able to make forays onto the land because their mouths and gums are highly vascularized, with lots of blood vessels quite close to the external environment. Additionally, some fish can breathe air by absorbing it through their skin, and a few have even evolved a labyrinthine system of ducts of gulp air. Third, I would argue that the fins of fish can be easily adapted to become highly dextrous, allowing the whole organ to change shape, as would be required for flight. Examples of this range to the modern frogfish to the prehistoric Tiktaalik, which could literally use its fins to do a push-up. Walking catfish can even use their fins to help them wriggle across dry land. By improving the dexterity of their fins, creatures like flying fish could use their gliding to not only escape predators better, but also to sneak on prey from above. Fourth, the book version of 'The Future is Wild' details that Flish have specialized oils lighter-than-water oils (also possessed by sharks) in their bodies along with specialized hollow scales that allow them to float in between glides. Fifth, if the fish evolved in shallow water, perhaps with a lower oxygen content, that filled dramatically with great expanses of water at one time of year and then become muddy and treacherous at another time of the year, it could kill two birds with one stone by developing stronger fins to maneuver through these tighter conditions but also glide when water levels are higher. This could be particularly important in an environment like that that is described in 'The Future is Wild' as being where Flish evolved, after a great future mass extinction killed off almost all life. In these sheltered environments, perhaps mangrove swamps or analogous regions, opportunists could gain a foothold. This also ties in some things the video mentions at about 9:15.

[@Alias_Anybody]

@@andrewkawam2603 I didn't argue it's impossible, just significantly less likely compared to terrestrial animals. Happened three times with vertebrates alone after all.

[@andresmarrero8666]

@@andrewkawam2603 there is also a problem that if birds did kick the bucket, this leaves the skies free for insects and bats to take over. Flying sea creatures would also be more free to take to the skies but they won't be the only ones.

[@WobblesandBean]

I just adore flying fish 💜 Truly fascinating and elegant creatures!

[@Vohasiiv]

I currently have a few freshwater hatchetfish in my aquarium and usually they will swim down when threatened. They will jump if startled though, or to catch a fruit fly.

[@gringopedia7206]

Imagine the flying fish evolve to the flish from the future is wild!!!

[@davidking6242]

Yeah along with the terrestrial octopuses, the bird fish were some of the coolest speculative evolutions ever

[@boygenius538_8]

David King that show definitely has a cephalopod bias.

[@Brutaltronics]

A fish and a bird in one package? That sounds delicious

[@موسى_7]

I don't think it has scales tho. So it's haram. You're probably not a Muslim but I though that would be an interesting fact.

[@mrpellagra2730]

It has scales.Also I don't think eating bird meat is haram.In our country we drink raw bird eggs for breakfast and don't bat an eye.

[@aa-to6ws]

Tf are you Chinese?

[@jamescanjuggle]

@@موسى_7 well your comments around a year old, but reading it made me Google Haram, so that's new and interesting to me

[@Stanstaycpls]

Ahh now a days people dont care if the animal is rare or exotic or dangerous tjey just eat whatever they see

[@snager80]

I think that without the pressures of predation, the flying fish would loose its need to spend energy flying or growing adaptations for flight. since their large, intelligent predators like dolphins and marlin are gradually decreasing in numbers do to pressures from human activity, eventually the flying fish will loose their ability to even jump out of the water. if you took the fish to a new hypothetical planet where everything was the same except no human activity on wild systems, they would eventually learn to actually fly, maybe. but it sounds like what is most useful to them is just skirting above the water, so they might not need to actually take off. if this hypothetical world lost its aerial predators, the flish might evolve to fill that niche, but it would take a lot of energy to learn to fly: so there would need to be a real pressure to force them to leave the water.

[@alexwschan185]

I mean flying would actually be a pretty good way to avoid conventional human hunting methods like trawling and net based hunting

[@invisiblejaguar1]

Thanks for this video, seriously fascinating topic. Maybe those flish would still require water to breath, like how whales and dolphins breath air like their ancient ancestors

[@garymeaney60]

Well there are actually plenty of air-breathing fish so I doubt that that's necessary

[@dxubty]

Gary Meaney That is true but for these fish there seems to be not that much of anatural selection factor that would require them to suddenly evolve air breathing (unless there is, do tell me) I feel like if they do evolve powered flight, there’d be a period where they develop to be flying pseudo-amphibians, where water is necessary for breathing and breeding, perhaps they won’t be able to stray to far away from the water. Then I’m assuming evolution will take its course and air breathing lineages will evolve.

[@TonboIV]

The thing is, marine mammels haven't kept breathing because they can't re-evolve gills. They've done it because breathing air is an advantage for them. They'd loose lots of heat through gills, and they'd be restricted to only as much oxygen as is disolved in the water. Air breathing allows even large mammels with energetic lifestyles to live in cold waters with limited oxygen, and be more energetic in general. Flish would gain nothing by keeping gills on the other hand, and stand to gain a lot by evolving lungs. Since the evolution of lungs by fish has occured more than once, we should expect flish to do so once they start spending a lot of time out of the water. In fact, air breathing is probably neccassary to provide enough oxygen for sustained powered flight.

[@luci_ix5181]

The flying fish is what happens when skip a bunch of steps in your evolution.

[@Raison_d-etre]

No, it's not.

[@luci_ix5181]

@@Raison_d-etre I know it's a joke...

[@halogen5580]

Reason as in skipping on water

[@luci_ix5181]

The joke was they skipped a bunch of step and went straight to flying.

[@guitaristxcore]

@@Raison_d-etre you're what happens when the best sperm doesnt fertilize the egg.

[@Kendro311]

I went deep sea fishing once, and an entire school of flying fish flew over our boat. Hundreds of them. All you could hear was the slapping of their little wing fins, and it felt like it was lightly raining for a moment from the water coming off them. Pretty amazing experience.

[@danachos]

Excuse me, you said "wings." I can only assume you meant to say "fwings"

[@rattttooooo]

"Wins"

[@antwan1357]

It is important to note that these fish still breathe water. If they become long term flyers , then it will be along the same evolution that mammals that are aquatic . As returning to the water surface would be vital for it's survival with a likely chance the surface of the water would be the main home. It would make for a interesting invasive species, as a true flying fish would be able to span longer distances to find ponds , and rivers inside land blocked areas.

[@falnica]

Considering that some animals breath air but live in the water, it could be possible for the flish to live in the air but need to go down every so often to the water in order to breath. The question would be: what adaptations would allow them to absorb enough oxygen in short dives? and whether those adaptations are more likely than those needed to breath air

[@powpuck5031]

Breath is a noun, breathe is a verb

[@gtv6chuck]

Great video. I have always found flying fish to be fascinating creatures, but I never did any research into them. Your video taught me more in 15 minutes than I have learned about them in my entire life.

[@tbarkley]

Therizinosaurs when?

[@BenGThomas]

At some point definitely. I have to do a video on them since they're my favourite group of dinosaurs! :)

[@AquaMarine1000]

Also jumping or flying rays clearing the water's surface by metres, it's a sight to see a 150cm ray meters in the air. The ocean, a place of wonders.

[@The_PokeSaurus]

An amazing creature that I forget about a lot.

[@MichaelSHartman]

Concerning "The Future Is Wild" bird fish, convergent evolution has created swimming, walking, burrowing, and flying across many groups, so a truly flying fish is not beyond possibilities if the environment encourages it. Penguins (fish bird) swim. I intuitively find the book and series dubious.

[@jedics1]

13 minutes and no video footage of them in action?

[@skhotzim_bacon]

@Big Bill O'Reilly what?

[@skhotzim_bacon]

@Big Bill O'Reilly dude lay off the drugs

[@rubibeats]

Here I am, once again. 2am, watching videos about the evolution of flying fish.

[@WintrBorn]

I love how in depth these videos get in such a short time.

[@Xnaut314]

There's a species of fossil shark from Devonian-Carboniforous era that has the same elongated pectoral fins of flying fish as well, suggesting this adaptation evolved in fish other than ray-finned too.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

Flying sharks...thanks, nature. Just...thanks.

[@carnotv6136]

I want a dog fight between flying fish

[@joe.black-mortem.angelos]

Truly an in-depth study of one of my favorite fish

[@AgnostosGnostos]

The Exocet French-built anti-ship missile takes its name from the flying fish. Flying fish is Exocet in French. Exocet missiles fly low like flight fishes. With sea skimming can be hardly detected by radars. Exocet did good job during the Falkland war.

[@bobbuilder1769]

ive been looking for this sort of video, talking about the evolution and biology of flying fish, for around 5 months. Good thing i found this finally.

[@patricioiasielski8816]

Awesome video guys! It would be great a video about extinct south american ungulates, and what would have happened if they were still around.

[@caviramus0993]

I'd like an episode about it too!

[@archrondeonmagma1272]

13 minutes felt like the whole book.. There's nothing I could ask for... WELL DONE!

[@DAVIDPETERS12C]

Great job, Ben. Every aspect was covered with logic at every step.

[@tehutimes1]

They glide/fly to escape predators.

[@poorpauly1308]

When I was snorkeling in Hawaii in the 80's I witnessed barracuda chasing flying fish out of the water. That is a memory I will never forget.

[@oualidbro.c6196]

'Flish' Boi.

[@billthecat666]

I bet many people think there is no such thing as a flying fish. It's a pretty amazing concept.

[@anotherasian530]

There are a lot of similar people

[@simianbarcode3011]

YES! Senpai noticed me!!!

[@BenGThomas]

Thank you for the suggestion! :)

[@durjam3734]

You just replaced the question lol

[@mohammedawadhi4475]

I remember seeing these fish when I was jetsking in the Maldives, I genuinely thought I was hallucinating but then I stopped and that the fish were actually flying.

[@dinoxels]

Could you make a video on Eastern United States Tyrannosaurs?

[@richardputz3233]

TheSmurfyMixels Nope,the Great Western Canadian Prairie Tyrannosaur should be done first because it’s much bigger.

[@fossilmania2824]

Size doesn’t matter

[@tessabakker662]

@@richardputz3233 I'd argue the smaller variant would be more interesting because we can see the workings of selective pressure on a large animal to be *smaller* as a result of lower/smaller prey availability.

[@xzendon]

I love these deep dive videos. Keep up the good work and enjoy your summer guys!

[@BenGThomas]

Thanks! :D

[@FirefoxisredExplorerisblueGoog]

I really enjoy how you guys have been exploring wings as of late.

[@Rayrard]

Oxyporhamphus micropterus is a perfect morphological transition, with Chriodorus being a bit closer to halfbeaks but still robust and having lost the lower jaw estension. Fodiator seems different as well from the other species of flyingfish. Interesting how the halfbeak jaw is retained only in juvenile flyingfish, but the flying halfbeaks have kept it.

[@carto4028]

So since this is a kind of new to evolution will we ever have flying fish that get hallowed bones that start to flap there wings making them legitimately fly?

[@davidegaruti2582]

The flying fish would be interesting in a serina like world : yeah there would be the flish from the future is wild but we would have other things like : flying sharks attacking their prey by jumping out of the water and then stealthly stalking it from the air finishing it up with a swift dive , a ekratoplane whale fish capable of using the ground effect and inertia to travel for long distances at high speeds , a hydrofoil orca fish socondarily evolved from a air breathing species capable of pushing itself with little drag and at high speeds by using modified pelvic fins to work like an hydrofoil , a sailing turle fish using the oceanic winds to raft along using no energy and my favourite a scramjet seahawk fish with one way lungs derived from the gills capable of pressurizing and heating the air aiding the supercharged wing muscle with extra trust and faster dives needless to say it would hunt flishes like a cheeta hunting domesticated sheeps .

[@BenGThomas]

Those are some very cool ideas! A planet/moon filled with flying fish descendants would be incredible to see! :D

[@garyfinchum3252]

I don't know if this helps but when I was younger I used to do a lot of diving. At Boca Raton inlet in Florida, each spring during April 2nd or third week usually, the Sargasso weed would come in and with it would come in a lot of what could only be described as flying fish. Each one was multi-colored like guppies, but they actually flew by flapping their fins very fast. Often when I would try to net one from the southern shore of the inlet where a row of metal planks driven into the sand, made up a wall that had the bank washed away behind them to form a pool on the landward side that caused the Sargasso weed to accumulate in a swirling mass. These floating mats held a variety of fry from several different fish families, like seahorses, blowfish, pipefish and many more. When bringing my dip net up from below they often times would jump out of the water and fly for quite a long distance, up to about hundred yards sometimes. These fish are only about an inch or less long. I don't know if they were the fry of some larger form or not, but I have yet to see a video about them. I also spotted white and black banded sea snake pass through there. I never knew they lived anywhere close to Florida.

[@Grand_History]

My bet would be that flying fish will just get better at gliding for longer periods of time and maybe reaching more height above the water. Of course they still need to be in the water to respire. The fresh water species you mentioned though have a lot of predators to worry about outside of the water, namely birds. So I see those species maintaining an aquatic lifestyle far a long time to come

[@thebotanicalark6608]

Would be cool to see a video on the development of sociality in insects

[@kashifpeter7192]

Its remarkable that not only reptiles and mammals evolved to fly the fish can fly to. It would interesting to see fish fly but then the gills have to be replaced by lungs

[@sendmorerum8241]

Suddenly I have this urge to own a large aqua-aviary

[@davidedens6353]

The fact that flying fish have evolved multiple times. In the last 300 million years makes me wonder what the likelyhood of fishopods evolving again if the conditions where right

[@troyandskyelar9588]

If you haven’t yet I’d love to see a video like this one on the Osteoglossiformes, aka Bony Tongued Fish (of which the African butterfly fish is one). Other extant species include Arapaima and the arowanas and Saratoga’s. I believe there are also some knifefish that belong to this order. They’re an interesting bunch. Ooh and Bichirs would be another interesting video - lots keep them for pets and Morocco had some massive ones around when Spinosaurus was there.

[@I_Dont_Believe_In_Salad]

Flying Squid: Hey man can we copy your homework? Flying Fish: Sure just make it different.

[@eddie-roo]

I'm working on a speculative evolution project centered on flying fish, this video has been pretty helpful because I can't really find to much info on flying fish, so thanks.

[@jiovanirivera852]

Flying Fish: Alright Bro im bouta head out

[@theangryaustralian7624]

Love the squiggly trails they leave in the water

[@ShanineJackman]

A little unrelated t this subject but I noticed the Noticed the Night Fury dragon from the Httyd franchise looks somewhat, coincidently like a flying fish.... 😂(there wings & Tail fins/flukes specifically lol.)

[@justinhanna9152]

It makes me very happy to hear that these marvelous creatures are actually very common and varied and not on the verge of extinction like so many other natural wonders

[@dyslexiusmaximus]

this channel is so good! i love every episode and its criminal that you have under 300,000 subs. we all need to share, comment, and like every video. they deserve it and people deserve to see these vids. please help this channel grow and help people learn by introducing them to this channel.

[@rsdna9698]

"they're restricted to the water because this is where they feed" uhhh I think it's where they breathe too.

[@fatjeezussouthtexasoutdoor5244]

The Giant Water Bug aka "Toe Biter" can fly, crawl, and swim/dive for extended periods. They prey on fish, bugs, and even small reptiles!! Truly the most talented "Do-All" creature in the animal kingdom!!!

[@perlog]

In the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines, we call this fish "bang-si" and eat them raw mixed with coconut milk, vinegar , some ginger and tomatoes and optionally with chillies, which sounds a little gross but is actually really good

[@Dss-bm3rz]

If like to hear more about the half beak fish. Strange adaptation?

[@nampam3945]

I understood that there were many ancient fossil forms of flying fish unrelated to the current collection of species, way before the dinosaurs, leaping out to avoid speedy ichthyosaurs. If so, a video on that topic would be most interesting. Ah,..... should have waited and watch it all before posting....., my bad. Damn, you even have ichthyosaurs. Next time, I will wait till class is finished before asking the teacher.

[@BobJones-dq9mx]

I have seen these fish in real time.What a sight!

[@kendalldavis99]

This videos answered so many questions ive had for so long. thank you. Great video

[@sandysapper8125]

I just saw them on a cruise I couldn’t figure out what the were! But now I know how cool

[@origaminosferatu3357]

Had no idea this group was so diverse. What amazing little guys. Flish are a fun concept but would they have to reverse-engineer lungs? That strikes me as a pretty rough deal.

[@jimbracknell5648]

Cool Vid! Though I was hoping you would mention the flying shark-like fish from the Mississippian Bear gulch formation.

[@TheTomvaliente]

Would you want to try making a video on gliding mammals and reptiles?

[@rattyeely]

I love flying fish, have you seen how colorful the young ones are

[@kakarotwolf]

Man, that's bad ass. About time someone makes a video of them. They're going to evolve to some crazy shit in the far future.

[@lukekalisz1817]

Anyone else super excited and hopeful for flysh/flish.

[@hedgehog3180]

Aquatic birds do exist so you can kinda see evolution go the other way and flying fish taking to the skies while still making their home mainly in the water. They might not go quite as far as in The Future is Wild but I would be pretty sure that they'll keep going down this path until they get actual powered flight. If it's an adaptation to escape predators then it does make obvious sense that powered flight could help to get far enough away from predators to be safe. But maybe they'll always stay an aquatic species.

[@peterheneghan1227]

I don't know if you read these things but i just want to say how much i enjoy your channel. I never really had an opportunity to go to University and persue some sort of career in paleo arceology so watching your content is an absolute joy, I hope you fully succeed in your career ambitions. Please continue making great content like this channel and others like Seven Days in Science. Thank you so very much End note, what selection pressures caused the lower jaw of the Half-Beaks to evolve?

[@R0ckmans]

For the longest time I thought flying fish were fictional. This is mind blowing!

[@DRAKED411]

They are so cool to watch

[@BarbarosaAlexander]

That was really fascinating.

[@humayunazad5820]

There should be a flying fish race, where different species would compete with each other. Winner would have the longest flight path & shortest dive time.

[@rat_dragon]

I keep butterfly fish and hatchetfish as pets! They're pretty darn neat

[@Valmon14]

Damn I was just wondering about this yesterday when I saw them when I went out island hopping. Thanks for the video!

[@seanledden4397]

It appears that the fossil record for the evolution of Triassic flying fish is more complete than the fossil record for our modern-day flying fish. Wow!

[@tukoramirez8478]

interesting to speculate what awaits for this fish on it's evolution path

[@prizmarvalschi1319]

One of these flew into our boat and onto my face ;-; We proceeded to turn it into flying fish filet

[@redhidinghood9337]

How did you not talk about breathing at all?? You said that they could optimally fly for a long time but you didn't mention how they adapted to not being in water for elongated periods of time?

[@FuyuuFuyu]

Keep up the good work 👏🏽

[@spartanhawk7637]

Ah yes, the two wingers. True masters of the T-pose.

[@Morganational]

Amazing as always, great video. Thank you for your hard work and research! I absolutely love this kind of historical to speculative future video. Keep up the good work! 😄

[@Shaden0040]

The Africa Butterfly fish is a distant relative of both the Arowana and the Arapina from South America. The two South American fish are excellent jumpers and can leap 1-3 meters in height to take out insects, spiders, small mammals, lizards, snakes, birds, and even monkeys. The bUtterfly fish will eat insects floating oon the surface or even flying close the the water's surface.

[@andresmarrero8666]

I don't see flish developing. Mainly because I don't see birds kicking the bucket any time soon if ever. Not to mention that if they do kick the bucket, the other two fliers (bats and insects) will most likely fill the void that the birds left. Flying fish will probably continue to develop but I see them becoming either more armored to protect against flying predators or more serpentine for more easier evasion, perhaps even an locking and unlocking adaptation with their vertebrae. Making them to ironically resemble Asian dragons in a way. Almost like that old story foretold the future.

[@andresmarrero8666]

@Mullerornis I just don't see them taking the place of birds when we already have actual fliers ready to fill that void. Them having a few million years head start is a major factor. On the flip side this might push for flight innovation further forward due to the abundance of tasty insects and arachnids. I can see a subspecies of bats developing to be able to seamlessly switch between swimming and flight, making full use of their echolocation to prey on our flying fishies. Either way the skies could grow more varied than we are used to.

[@TheFlyfly]

i never thought this fish actually existed and that it could fly/glide!

[@richystar2001]

I was on a cruise ship going towards the Cayman islands....and I kept seeing little birds ...which looked like swallows...I thought wtf are swallows doing here out in the middle of the ocean... then I suddenly realized that we were passing through schools of flying fish.

[@rasmokey4]

I saw these fish fly with my own eyes! They are amazing!!

[@WeAllWitnessed]

Can’t believe you didn’t mention flying squid.

[@Iowa599]

Wow! Hardcore photochop!

[@alexander_nunezf]

Great vid, it would be awesome if you made vids about similar toppics such as the origin of complex animal behaviors(creation of nests, synchronized flight, synchronized movement, how certain plants bait/attract specific insects).