Fish Sets Flight Record

Rarely does a fish appear out of water unless it’s about to become an angler’s meal. But one fish — a member of the flying fish family Exocoetidae — set what is believed to be a record by jumping out of water and staying aloft for 45 seconds. A Japanese film crew recorded the flight.

Riding a ferry en route to film a nature documentary, the crew caught on tape the flight near Kuchino-erabu island in southwestern Japan. The fish occasionally beats its tail against the water’s surface to stay aloft.

There are more than 50 species of flying fish. They are found mostly in the world’s warmer oceans, and they generally take flight from the water to avoid predators. The fish usually remain out of the water for only a matter of seconds.

The previous record was 42 seconds, reported by a Florida sea captain using a stopwatch in 1928.

Click here to see video of this record-breaking flight.