this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] Cap@kbin.melroy.org 100 points 1 year ago (3 children)

There is a species of flying fish in the northwest Pacific region called Boeing interruptus that struggles to get airborne.

[–] danekrae@lemmy.world 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Careful! I've heard of what happens to Boeing whistleblowers.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They sleep with the flying fishes

[–] Kallioapina@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Probably not flying, though.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They fish with the sleeping flies?

[–] Lommy@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

They fly with the sleeping fish.

[–] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is a common misunderstanding. They have no issue getting airborne, they do, however, have a habit of suddenly being not airborne, with catastrophic results.

they do, however, have a habit for suddenly being not airborne

That's not true - I've heard they're too big to fall.

Holy shit, I completely fell for that until I read the replies.

Might be time for my medicine...

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 74 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

YEET THE FISH !!

[–] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 50 points 1 year ago

Seeing these in choppy seas is interesting. You'll see a fish fly straight out the side of one wave, fly 100 feet through the air and right back into the side of another wave. Super unnatural looking.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 36 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I mean, you probably should throw it like a paper airplane (with form, and not stupendously forcefully), or at least put it back in the water. It is a fish, it will asphyxiate if you just keep holding it.

[–] GarbageShoot@hexbear.net 9 points 1 year ago

I have to imagine it has a greater capacity to hold its breath than the average fish, on account of their gliding and everything.

It's just having a good time

[–] SanndyTheManndy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

don't they glide for ridiculous lengths of time tho?

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Apparently the longest ever recorded glide is 45 seconds.

Fish don't have lungs, so the analogy is kind of busted, but some humans can hold their breath for 30 seconds, some 2 minutes, some 5 minutes, but overall it doesn't take long for brain damage/death to occur.

I'd guesstimate that a flying fish would be probably irrevivably dead after 3 to 5 minutes out of water.

I tried to look up more specifics on flying fish respiratory systems vs other fish back when I posted this, to see if they have measurably better ability to remain alive out of water for longer than other fish, but I couldn't find much.

[–] SuspiciousCatThing@pawb.social 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I don't think I ever processed that these are real and would have wings. It doesn't seem right. I don't like them.

I feel like I want to show this to creationists because it would just break their brains a bit. They'd quickly go back and say god planned it, but I love the pure evolution here.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

Still more natural than birds - who tf ever thought we would fall for such an obvious spy trick?

[–] Got_Bent@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago

I've seen those things once in my life while on a boat in the Philippines. Really quite something to experience in person.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 year ago

Fish says: "DO IT! aim at the ocean and DO IT!"

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

hmm....how many million years until we have proper flying fish? Maybe it's slower than land-air and land-water because the sky doesn't have as much food?

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

There are several major hurdles, and no particularly strong evolutionary drive to overcome them.

The first is breathing. Fish "breath" water. Shifting to air takes a huge reconfiguration. It also compromises their ability to process water.

The second is power. "Flying" fish are actually gliders. They build up momentum in the water before launching themselves into the air. They don't actually have the ability to flap and maintain their flight. Developing the muscles for this would likely compromise their swi.ing slightly. That would be a far bigger issue, compared to a bit of extra gliding.

A flying fish's goal is to break contact with an underwater hunter, before reentering the water. A steerable glide is more than enough of this. There is simply no pressure to advance it further.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Step 1:
Survive the humans

[–] EffortlessEffluvium@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago

Carry it around and make nrowwwn sounds like an airplane

[–] Xttweaponttx@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

3 minute BBC earth vid of the little dudes. How have I never seen these things before! Incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUufx-FFGKU

Nobody does nature as good as the BBC and Sir David Attenborough. Nobody.