The natural world is vibrant. Some animals, although not birds, can fly skillfully. This article will learn about the five most interesting flying animals without wings.
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Flying Stingray
Mobula is a genus of fish in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays) of the order Myliobatidae. You will be surprised because this fish can fly up to 2m out of the water like a bird. These rays have a width of up to 5.2m and a weight of up to 1 ton.
According to scientists, the flying stingray ʟɪᴠᴇs in a small range with a low ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ rate. This makes them have to ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴇᴛᴇ very ꜰɪᴇʀᴄᴇʟʏ to maintain the ʙʀᴇᴇᴅ. When it comes to ʙʀᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ season, flying rays will gather in large groups to swim together.
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Flying Squirrel
Flying squirrels are small marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. The ʙᴏᴅʏ structure allows flying squirrels to move from tree to tree quickly. They have a thin ᴍᴇᴍʙʀᴀɴᴇ extending on the sides, acting like paragliders. Thanks to that thin ʟᴀʏᴇʀ of plaque, squirrels can fly up to 60-100 meters in just a few seconds. However, they cannot take off on their own from the ground but must ᴅʀᴏᴘ from a tree.
Flying squirrels often ʜɪᴅᴇ in the nest during the day and come out at night to find food and roam—most of the time they spend sleeping. Flying squirrels have smooth gray-blue ᴄᴏᴀᴛs and light and petite ʙᴏᴅɪᴇs. Flying squirrels can primarily ʜɪᴅᴇ in natural environments such as leaves and branches in the wild. They are ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢɪɴɢ to ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛ with the ɴᴀᴋᴇᴅ ᴇʏᴇ.
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Flying Frog
The flying frog, also known as the gliding frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. They are found in China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, and Myanmar. Due to the ᴍᴜsᴄᴜʟᴀʀ ʟɪᴍʙs, sizeable ᴡᴇʙʙᴇᴅ sᴋɪɴ between the ꜰɪɴɢᴇʀs, and extensive sᴋɪɴ ꜰᴏʟᴅs on the ᴀʀᴍs.
The flying frog can quickly ᴅʀᴏᴘ ᴅᴏᴡɴ from a tall tree and land gently or ɢʟɪᴅᴇ from tree to tree. Other without any ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs.
They are quite large in size; males are 72.3 – 85.5mm long, and females are 89.4 – 90.7mm. Male and female colors are the same.
The appearance of flying frogs is often commensurate with the habitat and is subject to change. Species living in the tropics are often brightly colored, while species living in temperate climates are usually darker in color.
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Flying Snakes
Flying snakes have the scientific name: Chrysopelea is a genus of snakes in the subfamily Ahaetuliinae of the Colubridae family. They are a group of arboreal snakes from Southeast Asia (three Indochinese countries: Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) to South Asia. Flying snakes mainly live in treetops. They ᴊᴜᴍᴘ from tree branches to ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴅᴀᴛᴏʀs or search for ᴘʀᴇʏ. They can fly to a distance of up to 24m.
Jake Socha, a biologist at Virginia Tech University, said: “Flying snakes have a unique ʙᴏᴅʏ structure that can flatten themselves when they ᴛʜʀᴏᴡ themselves. They also know how to tilt from side to side to catch the ɪᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛ. The wind creates lift ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ gravity. Flying snakes can ɢʟɪᴅᴇ quickly at a speed of 8 to 10 meters per second.
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Flying Squid
Flying squid, called Todarodes pacificus in Latin, belongs to the family Ommastrephidae. They live north of the Pacific Ocean, around the Sea of Japan, China, and Russia, south of the coast of Alaska and Canada, and in central Vietnam. Flying squid is blue and about 20cm long; they can fly 30m above the water’s surface to ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs or sᴀᴠᴇ energy when ᴍɪɢʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ.
The flying squid has two ꜰɪɴs and a ꜰᴀᴜᴄᴇᴛ that takes water from one side and pushes the water out from the other. This is also the flying mechanism of squid. They fly ʙᴀᴄᴋᴡᴀʀᴅ with swaying ᴛᴇɴᴛᴀᴄʟᴇs, and their ꜰɪɴs act as wings to help them balance in the air.