Flying Gurnard

Q: Where can you find Flying Gurnard?

Flying Gurnard can be found in: Atlantic Ocean East, Morocco North, Morocco West, Honduras East, Montenegro, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Gabon, Costa Rica, Guinea, Ireland, Ukraine, Cuba West, Panama East, Azores, Spain West, Spain East, USA East, Mexico South East, USA South East, Costa Rica East, Atlantic Ocean West, Croatia, Venezuela, Belize, Slovenia, Yucatan, Playa del Carmen, Canada, Senegal, Malta, Lesser Antilles, Israel, France North West, Egypt North, France South, Mexico East, Cuba East, Turkey West, Israel North, Colombia North, Nicaragua East, Guatemala East, United Kingdom, Bermuda, Mediterranean Sea, Nigeria, Liberia, Benin, Congo, Cameroon, Saint Thomas and Prince, Togo, Ghana, Caribbean Sea, Trinidad & Tobago, Gulf of Mexico, Lebanon, Tunisia, Cyprus, Monaco, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Libya, Dominican Republic, USA, Atlantic Ocean, Honduras, Red Sea, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Algeria, Egypt, Brazil, Portugal, Uruguay, Gambia, Jamaica, French Guiana, Sierra Leone, Puerto Rico, Albania, Syria, Suriname, Palestine, Haiti, Italy, Greece, Bahamas, France, Turkey, Panama, Morocco, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Virgin Islands (U.K.).

Dactylopterus volitans

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Max Size

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Max Weight

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Max Depth

100 m

Dactylopterus volitans is a bottom-dwelling fish of tropical to warm temperate waters on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. On the American side, it is found as far north as Massachusetts (exceptionally as far as Canada) and as far south as Argentina, including the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. On the European and African side, it ranges from the English Channel to Angola, including the Mediterranean. Similar and related species from the genus Dactyloptena are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Other names: Helmet Gurnard.

Description

When excited, the fish spreads its "wings", which are semi-transparent, with a phosphorescent bright blue coloration at their tips. These are designed to scare away predators, but they don't enable the fish to glide in the air as do the fins of flying fish. The fish also has large eyes. It reaches up to 50 cm (20 in) in length and 1.8 kg (4.0 lb) in weight. Pectoral fins are very large and fan-like, with front 6 rays separated as small lobe.

Habitat

Found on sand, mud or over rocks in sandy areas, exploring the bottom with the free part of the pectoral fins. Feeds primarily on benthic crustaceans, especially crabs, clams and small fishes. Neither anterolateral glandural groove nor venom gland is present.