by Annalyn Andriyenko

Created on: January 22, 2011   Last Updated: January 24, 2011

The flying gurnard has a magnificent presence and composure compared to other salt water fish, in fact there is no other fish that looks quite like the gurnard. These fish can be found all along the waters of Japan, Polynesia, and even finding its way in the shallow seas of Hawaii. Learn all about this Dactylopteridae family of fish from where they sleep to what they eat.

Appearance

Sure they may be called flying, but they actually are very slow and “walk” along the bottoms of the ocean floor with their very wide and long fins that look like a wing span. These fins usually have a neon blue ridge, and are covered in dark spots along with their body. These spots gleam off the sunlight giving them a dazzling look as they search for their food along the sands. Their large fins can make their body look quite small, especially their tiny head with two alert eyes poking out. Their scales are somewhat heavy, which is one of the reasons why this fish is so slow. These weighty scales are used as protection since they are exceptionally thick.

Habitat

Living on the bottom of the ocean, these fish make their resting spot along a seabed and come out during the day to find food to feed upon. They never leave their area and are always found on the sea floor, as their bodies are much to heavy to swim upwards. They can make for a great salt water aquarium fish as they can keep to themselves and not bully any other fish (make sure to read on which fish they do not prey on) that might get in their way.

Diet

The diet of a flying gurnard may be surprising to some, since they seem like a docile fish that would only eat algae and coral, but they are the complete opposite. They eat many fish smaller than themselves and have a fondness for shrimp and even crabs. They are scavengers, so if they are living in a tank, a full small crab, shell included is something they would pick clean. Being carnivorous, they will only eat meat and if they can’t find enough in the wild, they will slowly migrate to the next ocean floor.

Flying gurnards are a distinctive species of fish with a one of a kind look. They are beautiful to look at and they pose no big threat to fish larger than themselves.     

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