Flying Fish is a common name for about 100 species of fish belonging to the genus Exocoetidae in the class Beloniformes. These fish display a kind of unique nature like ‘flying’ over short distances on the surface of the sea. The pectoral fin and in some cases the pelvic fin extend to form a wing-like structure.
Most of the Urukku fish are marine and usually flock. When swimming very fast, they often reach the very surface of the water and spread their wings and fly in the air like birds. They can stay afloat for up to 30 seconds, depending on the speed of the wind or the waves. Some of these well-formed fins can glide at a height of 10 m from the surface of the water to a distance of about 400 m. Due to this many times the flying fish suddenly came and landed on the deck of the ship.
Urukku fish can be seen in all the seas of the tropics. They can be 10 to 30 cm in length. They mainly 'fly' to protect themselves from dolphins or other predators.
They can stay afloat for up to 30 seconds, depending on wind speed or wave conditions. This is a flight but not an actual flight. This is called gliding. Simply put, floating in the air.
There are two purposes behind leaving water and floating in the air. The first is that plankton must rise above the water to eat food. The second is self-defense. To escape from the chase of big fish, to leave the water and get up in the air and somehow escape.
There are three species of flying fish in Bangladesh called Exocoetus comatus, E. poecilopterus and E. volitans. All of them live in the shallow waters of the Bay of Bengal.