Buzz
When we think of flying creatures, our minds usually go to the vast range of bird species, maybe even bats, and possibly the flying reptiles like pterosaurs from prehistoric times. But evolution and adaptation never fail to surprise us.
In fact, you might be surprised to learn that flight has developed in various animal groups, allowing fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians to take to the air.
I’ll start with a simple explanation, saying that there are different types of flight: powered, unpowered, and externally powered. In our modern, urbanized world, some of these might catch you off guard.
10. Wild Turkeys
We usually think of turkeys in relation to Thanksgiving rather than soaring through the skies. In fact, when you spot a wild turkey, it’s typically on the ground. However, it might surprise you to know that wild turkeys can indeed fly, though only for short distances. When they do take off, they do so at impressive speeds. According to Live Science, they can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour, or nearly 90 kilometers per hour.
The important thing to note is that wild turkeys are arboreal, meaning they nest in trees, so they need to find a way to get up there. For these large birds from the genus Meleagris, flying comes more naturally than climbing.
While wild turkeys are capable of flight, domesticated ones bred for consumption cannot. Over time, farmers have selectively bred them for larger breasts, which limits their ability to take off.
9. Flying Snakes
The idea of a flying snake might be unsettling to some, but these creatures exist, primarily in Southeast Asia. Fortunately, their venom is typically only potent enough to harm smaller animals like lizards, rodents, frogs, and birds, not humans.
In 2015, the University of Chicago published a paper on flying snakes following a study, where lead scientist Jake Socha, PhD, remarked: “Despite their lack of wing-like appendages, flying snakes are skilled aerial locomotors.”
Flying snakes don’t soar like birds. Instead, they glide by flattening their bodies into a “pseudo concave wing” C-shape while making wave-like lateral undulations, allowing for stable flight. The University of Chicago study also found that smaller snakes can glide further.
For perspective, most flying snakes reach lengths of about 3 to 4 feet.
8. Ballooning Spiders
The idea of spiders ‘ballooning’ is one of the most imaginative phenomena in the animal kingdom. It occurs in many species of light spiders, particularly spiderlings. Essentially, these arachnids have developed the ability to release silk threads that catch the wind, lifting them into the air like a parachute, much like kite flying. This externally powered flight method is distinct.
Although the majority of ballooning spiders' journeys are brief, some have been known to travel distances of up to hundreds of kilometers. These spiders climb to high points and release silk to catch the wind. This process aids in dispersal, allowing them to move to new locations, though casualties are often high.
In 2015, a remarkable event took place in Australia’s Southern Tablelands, when millions of spiders ballooned en masse. The silk they left behind made the landscape appear as though it were covered in snow—a highly unusual sight in that region of the world.
7. Flying Squid
It might seem strange for a marine creature to take flight, but certain members of the Ommastrephidae family, known as flying squid, have evolved this ability. The most common species of flying squid is found in the waters off Japan.
According to Japanese researchers, these squid can glide up to 30 meters, reaching speeds of 11.2 meters per second—comparable to Usain Bolt's sprinting speed over 100 meters. The researchers also reported, “We have discovered that squid don’t merely leap from the water, but possess a highly developed flying posture.” The squid use propulsion to glide from the water, extending their fins and arms into a vertical position to stay airborne.
Why do they do this? The prevailing theory is that it’s a defensive tactic to evade predators. Squid are often a primary food source, which makes defense a necessity for survival.
6. Draco Lizards
Draco lizards have a certain charm, although their cuteness fades somewhat when they take to the air. These small agamid lizards, cousins of iguanas, have the ability to extend their elongated ribs and the membranes connecting them to form wings, known as patagia, which allows them to glide. They also feature a secondary flap on their neck to assist with gliding.
While it isn’t true powered flight, these 20cm lizards can glide over 50 meters—a significant distance when considering their small size! They glide to evade predators on the forest floor, but also to seek food and mates. Additionally, they are fiercely territorial, often gliding from tree to tree to defend their domain.
Small, quick, and effortless in their movement, Draco lizards are even more endearing thanks to the bright colors of their wings.
5. Flying Fish
There are 40 species of marine fish known to actually fly, propelling themselves out of the water and gliding through the air. Much like some of the creatures already mentioned, flying fish use this ability to escape predators, gliding rather than flying like birds or bats, despite their wing-like fins.
Flying fish are commonly found in the Caribbean nation of Barbados, often referred to as 'the land of the flying fish'. They inhabit tropical oceans and usually stay within 200 meters of the water’s surface, a key factor in their evolution to take advantage of the air above the water.
A Japanese television crew captured a flying fish airborne for an impressive 45 seconds, setting a new world record and surpassing the previous record of 42 seconds, which had been witnessed by American researchers in the 1920s. These fish can soar at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour and glide as far as 400 meters by riding wave drafts and using their tail fins to maintain flight.
4. Flying Squirrels
National Geographic once referred to these animals as “living, breathing paper aeroplanes”. Though they can’t fly like birds, flying squirrels glide by using their natural 'parachute'—a membrane, or patagium, that stretches from wrist to ankle, resembling a hang glider. Their long tail serves both as a stabiliser and a brake, while their limbs help guide their flight.
Flying squirrels glide between trees in the forest to avoid the predators lurking on the ground. Their glides range anywhere from 40 to 150 meters.
Just this week, seven individuals were arrested in Florida for orchestrating an “elaborate enterprise” to smuggle flying squirrels, intending to sell them as 'exotic pets'.
3. Mobulas
Known as “devil rays,” little is understood about these rays, but they are famous for their dramatic belly flops. Often referred to as ocean acrobats by scientists, they put on quite a show.
These fish resemble most rays with their large, wing-like fins. They're powerful swimmers, often found in schools, and use that strength to leap out of the water, sometimes flipping or twirling in the air before splashing back down. While they typically reach only about two meters above the water, it’s a unique and curious behavior.
Scientists haven't fully explained this strange behavior, though one theory suggests it’s a way for fish to stand out in the school and attract a mate. Males are the primary jumpers, though females occasionally join in. The theory posits that those who impress with a spectacular leap and splash have the best chance of winning a mate's attention.
2. Chinese flying frog
These frogs, also known as Blanford’s whipping frog, large treefrog, or Denny’s whipping frog, are a sizable tree-dwelling species. Despite their size, they glide effortlessly between trees using webbed feet and hands that function like parachutes, allowing for a smooth, controlled descent.
In 1869, British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace discovered these frogs in the rainforests of Borneo and wrote: “The toes (are) very long and fully webbed to their very extremity, so that when expanded they offered a surface much larger than that of the body.”
Gliding is an energy-efficient mode of travel for these frogs, who rarely spend time on the ground or in water. In fact, they only descend when it's time to breed. Their tree-dwelling lifestyle has led to significant adaptations in their bodies, with notable differences from typical frogs.
1. Gliding ants
The remarkable thing about gliding ants is that they are wingless, yet have mastered the ability to glide. These tree-dwelling insects have evolved to control their descent from trees. The phenomenon of gliding ants was only recently discovered, with biologists from the University of California publishing a paper on them in 2005.
Living high in the trees, these ants have developed the ability to navigate back to their original tree if they fall, using visual cues. Biologists found that they can make a 180-degree turn midair. When they land on tree trunks, they often strike them with their rear legs and sometimes bounce off. It’s estimated that they have an 85% success rate of landing back on the same trunk.
University of Texas insect ecologist Stephen P. Yanoviak remarked: “In Amazon forests, you really don’t want to fall out of your tree and in the water, because then you’re definitely dead. That’s what I think is the major evolutionary driving mechanism behind the behaviour.”
