This month’s series will be about…
Carriacou Island, Grenada! This is an island in the Caribbean Sea that belongs to the country of Grenada. It has a population of approximately 8,000. Its name “Carriacou” translates to the Isle Of The Reefs. It is only a 20-minute plane trip from Mainland Grenada. The language that is best spoken on Carriacou is Jamaican Patois which is an English-based Creole. It is best known for snorkeling & scuba diving. In its surrounding oceans recede some of the last untouched coral reefs in the region. There are a total of 33 diving sites on the island. In these waters recedes a certain type of flying fish, the Flying Gurnard. This is one of the only types of flying fish. It is not very well documented & vastly undiscovered. Now lets delve into the Flying Gurnard.
The Discovery & Lives Of The Flying Gurnard
It’s not exactly known when the Flying Gurnard was first recorded as being discovered. It is a bottom-dwelling fish. It is found everywhere from north of Massachusetts to the Caribbean Sea, to Argentina. The exact lifespan of this creature is not well documented. They can grow to be a maximum length of 50 centimeters (20 inches). Their diet mainly consists of small fish, bivalves, & different types of crustaceans. They are in abundance however there population is in control because they are a common prey animal. It is most commonly found on the bottom of lagoons or coral reefs. They are typically found from 6 meters deep all the way to 100 meters deep. They use their wing-shaped pectoral fins in order to propel & glide through the water at quick speeds. They are not endangered, in fact on the IUCN red list they are “least concern”. They are not edible by humans. a way to tell whether they are actually Flying Gurnard or not, is that when they are excited they spread their pectoral fins. These fish can be kept in aquariums however they need much care & an incredibly large aquarium. They are reportedly incredibly hard to care for & it is recommended that they should be kept in only tanks of 1600 liters or more.
The Mating Patterns Of The Flying Gurnard
Flying Gurnards reproduce through heterosexual reproduction with a male and female partner. A female Flying Gurnard carries eggs that get fertilized from a male Flying Gurnard's sperm during sexual intercourse. They mate essentially as many fish do & do not seem to possess many unique traits when it comes to mating. The parents are not involved after the juvenile is born. The eggs freely float up to the surface after being released from the female. Unfortunately, it is not clear how many eggs are released at once. They develop quite slowly, & after 2-7 days they hatch & swim off into the ocean. It is not clear exactly the age of the fish when they breed. They stay together in monogamous pairs for mating season.
Do The Flying Gurnard Actually Fly?
Shockingly, Flying Gurnards can apparently fly. They are bottom-dwelling fish as well meaning they don’t get often get anywhere near flying. Their wing shaped pectoral fins actually help them glide through water & glide above water for short distances. As well as helping with propulsion. These wings are semi translucent & blue tipped. They look beautiful & reflect light when brought into the sun. These wings help them glide at high speeds which helps them escape from predators & other things. These pectoral fins are also used to communicate with one another. These pectoral fins have bones in them, however these bones are quite flimsy yet flexible. These fins are also one of the main identifying characteristics of the Flying Gurnard. These wings are unique to some Gurnards & the family of fish known as Exocoetidae.
The Scientific Detailing Of The Flying Gurnard
The Flying Gurnard is unique in bone structure & behavioural patterns. They have a boney head that is helmet shaped making it incredibly tough to consume. Its wings have thin bones that give them the structural integrity needed to glide through the water. Their skull connects to a large plate that goes down their back. Their teeth are elongated. Their phylum is Chordata meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics. All Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either in adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, & a post-anal tail. Their class is Actinopterygii, which is a clade of boney fish, this clade comprises over 50% percent of living vertebrate species. This is also the class where all Exocoetidae Are Oriented From. Their Order is Syngnathiformes meaning that they have elongated narrow bodies which are surrounded by a series of rings made of bone. This also means that their mouth is aligned in a way so that they are able to ingest via suction of nearby prey. Another defining characteristic of Syngnathiformes is their reversed sexual system. Many species in this clade have a reversed sexual system meaning that the males conduct specialized brooding and rearing of the embryos. The males house eggs in a small osmoregulated pouch or adhere eggs to their tails until the eggs reach maturity. Their family is Dactylopteridae which is a family of fish with greatly enlarged pectoral fins, which in some allow them to glide above water for short distances. And finally, their genus is Dactylopterus which holds an assortment of Flying Gurnard.
Our Conclusion
The Flying Gurnard is an odd species which possesses traits seen in very few fish species. This fish should have more research & experimentation conducted upon it. Hopefully someday, we’ll be able to study & capture their breeding cycles & patterns. These creatures are necessary to parts of Carriacou Island’s Ecosystems. More skeletons of them should be examined, & hopefully someday we will be able to fully document all of this species’ abnormalities.
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