The Flying Gurnard doesn’t look like a normal fish at all. I think if I saw it in the ocean for the first time, I would truly believe it was something from a fantasy world. It rests quietly on the ocean floor, and nothing about it seems special, until it opens its fins.
The Flying Gurnard lives in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. It prefers the bottom of the sea, where sand and small rocks cover the ground. Most of the time, it slowly glides along the ocean floor searching for crabs and tiny fish to eat. How I see it, this fish is calm and steady, never in a hurry.
But when danger comes close, everything changes in a second. The Flying Gurnard spreads its huge wing-like fins wide. Bright blue and red colors suddenly appear, shocking the predator. I think this sudden flash of color is its strongest weapon. It doesn’t fight, it frightens.
Even though people call it a “flying” fish, it does not really fly. It only glides smoothly along the sea floor using its large fins. These fins are actually modified body fins that can grow longer than half of its body. I would say nature gave this fish one of the most dramatic designs in the ocean.
The Flying Gurnard reminds me that many amazing things stay hidden until the right moment. It may look simple at first, but once it shows its wings, it becomes unforgettable.
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