7 Weirdest Flying Animals
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The earth is full of magnificent creatures that never managed to overwhelm humanity. Among them, the flying animals are the ones that have always managed to attract observers/researchers’ attention. These animals may not have bird-like wings, but their aerodynamic structures allow them to fly.
Let’s take a look at these 7 weirdest flying animals.
1. COLUGOS
Sometimes, these tree-dwelling gliders are called flying lemurs, but they are neither true lemurs nor are they flying. Such mammals of the Cynocephalus genus occur in Southeast Asia and are about the size of a house cat. Using their patagium, colugos can fly up to 200 feet between trees, or skin flaps between their front and hind legs extending to their tail and neck (colugos are also webbed between their toes). They will gracefully fly through the forest in the air but look like an animated pancake on the ground.
2. FLYING FISH
Apparently, life at sea just doesn’t cut it anymore for our finned mates, with some fish wagging out of the water and into the sky.
Flying fish are members of the Exocoetidae tribe, and use their remarkable ability to shake off predators. Flying fish uses their super-streamlined shape while underwater to achieve speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. It makes them one of the top 10 fastest fish. They then push themselves upwards to crack the surface, where they use their tails to skim along the water before bringing the air to its fullest.
Their powerful pectoral fins help them reach 1.2 meters high and lengths of up to 200 meters high. But that’s not all — they can beat their tails again when the fish loses height and approaches the water to travel across the surface and prolong their flight to 400 m.
3. SNAKES
You’ve ever seen a flying snake? You read it correctly! Among snakes, there is a specific species called Chrysopelea, which can actually fly! Scary, aren’t they? But be not. Their venom is deadly for their tiny prey. Chrysopelea, commonly referred to as a flying snake or gliding snake, moves vertically up a tree and, when it reaches the end of a tree branch, makes a J-shape bend and propels it forward by selecting the tilt. In India, flying snakes are found mostly in western Indian states such as Gujarat.
