Flying Fish Between Water and Air
Written by Studio AM.
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Flying fish do not fly by flapping their fins like birds. Their journey above the sea begins underwater, where a fish accelerates toward the surface. Near the top, it may keep its lower tail lobe in the water and beat rapidly. This final push supplies speed before the fish leaves the surface and spreads its enlarged pectoral fins.
In the air, those fins act as gliding surfaces. Forward motion sends air around them, producing forces that slow the fall. Gravity still pulls the fish downward, and drag steadily reduces its speed, so the glide cannot continue indefinitely. Body shape and a relatively stiff fin position help preserve momentum rather than create powered flight.
A fish can sometimes extend the trip without fully returning underwater. As it approaches the surface, it may lower its tail into the water while the body remains above. Renewed tail beats add speed, and the fish begins another glide. This repeated contact explains why one journey may cover more distance than a single launch would allow.
Leaping may help flying fish escape a predator, though leaving the water exposes them to hunters from the air. The behavior is therefore not a perfect refuge. It is a rapid shift between two physical environments, using water for acceleration and air for an extended glide. The fish succeeds not by becoming a bird, but by combining a swimmer's tail with fins suited to brief travel above waves.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
What is the main idea of the passage?
The answer is C: Flying fish combine underwater acceleration, tail-powered relaunches, and fin-supported gliding to travel briefly above the sea.
The passage traces launch, glide, possible renewed acceleration, and the limits of this movement.
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Question 2 of 4
Why can dipping the tail extend a journey?
The answer is D: Contact with water lets new tail beats add speed before another glide.
The third paragraph states that renewed tail beats in water increase speed while the body can remain above the surface.
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Question 3 of 4
What does “momentum” mean as used here?
The answer is A: the motion a moving body tends to carry forward
The fish's streamlined body and stiff fins help it retain forward movement rather than power new movement.
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Question 4 of 4
Where does the fish gain speed before its first launch?
The answer is B: underwater as it approaches the surface
The opening paragraph begins the sequence underwater, where the fish accelerates toward the surface.
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