SAM: HI GUYS, IT'S SAM, YOUR AQUATIC GUIDE IN THE
ATLANTIC CORAL REEF AT THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM!
WE'RE ON AN AWESOME OCEAN ADVENTURE,
LEARNING SOME OF THE COOLEST FACTS ABOUT FISH!
DID YOU KNOW THERE'S A FISH IN HERE THAT CAN 'WALK'
ON THE OCEAN FLOOR?
AND IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A FROG FROM THE SIDE,
BUT WHEN IT SPREADS ITS BEAUTIFUL PECTORAL FINS,
IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A BIRD!
COME ON, WE'VE GOT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FLYING GURNARD.
♪ [THEME MUSIC PLAYING] ♪
I'VE BEEN SCUBA DIVING SINCE I WAS 15 YEARS OLD.
AND EVERY TIME I GO IT TRANSPORTS ME
TO A DIFFERENT WORLD.
THE CALM TURQUOISE WATERS, FLOATING LIKE AN ASTRONAUT,
TREASURE HUNTING FOR LOST OBJECTS,
AND SEARCHING FOR UNUSUAL SPECIES.
AND I'M ALWAYS READY TO GEAR UP FOR
THE NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE!
THIS TIME I'M AT THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM LOOKING FOR THE
FLYING GURNARD THAT HAS FINS THAT KIND OF LOOK LIKE WINGS!
I'LL BE DIVING WITH HOLLY BOURBON IN
THE ATLANTIC CORAL REEF TANK.
ITS 13 FEET DEEP, HOLDS 335,000 GALLONS OF WATER,
AND HAS 100 SPECIES THAT ARE FOUND IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!
IT'S ABSOLUTELY AWESOME IN HERE.
THERE'S A SCHOOL OF BLUE TANG FISH,
SWIMMING TOGETHER SO GRACEFULLY.
THE TANGS ARE ALSO KNOWN AS SURGEONFISH BECAUSE OF THE
SHARP SPINES ON THEIR TAILS THAT ARE KIND OF LIKE
A "SURGEON'S SCALPEL."
I BETTER MOVE OVER FOR THIS BIG GUY THE TARPON.
NICKNAMED "SILVER KING" BECAUSE OF THE BRIGHT FLASH
THAT REFLECTS FROM ITS BODY.
UP THERE, IT'S THE FLYING GURNARD!
WOW, IT JUST OPENED ITS FINS,
THEY REALLY DO LOOK LIKE WINGS!
SO BEAUTIFUL.
AND WHEN THE WINGS COLLAPSE,
IT REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE A FROG FROM THE SIDE.
[FROG NOISES].
A GURNARD CAN GROW UP TO AS MUCH AS 20 INCHES.
I DON'T WANT TO SCARE IT AWAY.
SO I'M NOT GETTING TOO CLOSE.
IT LIKES TO HANG AT THE TOP OF THE TANK WITH THAT
LITTLE BONNETHEAD SHARK.
COME ON, HOLLY'S GIVING THE SIGN TO GET OUT.
SUPER COOL!
LET'S GO DRY OFF AND TALK WITH HOLLY IN THE DIVE LOCKER,
WHERE ALL OF THE DIVING EQUIPMENT FOR THE AQUARIUM
IS CLEANED AND STORED.
HOLLY, SO WE SAW THAT REALLY AWESOME FISH THAT
WAS KIND OF UP TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE WATER.
HE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A WING-LIKE FEATURE, RIGHT?
HOLLY: YES, THAT FISH WAS CALLED THE FLYING GURNARD
PROBABLY ABOUT A FOOT LONG, THE ANIMAL'S REALLY
INTERESTING, WHAT IT'LL DO, WHEN IT'S OFTEN TIMES AT THE
BOTTOM, YOU'LL SEE THE WINGS SPREAD OUT AND
THEY HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL, ALMOST PEACOCKISH LOOK.
SAM: IT WAS REALLY BRIGHT AND IT WAS JUST RIGHT ON THE EDGE
OF ITS WING AND IT JUST WAS SO BEAUTIFUL HOW HE EXPANDED IT.
HOLLY: RIGHT, NOW IT LOOKS LIKE A WING,
BUT IT'S ACTUALLY CALLED A PECTORAL FIN.
SAM: OKAY.
HOLLY: IT MAKES ITSELF LOOK BIGGER TO PREDATORS.
AND YOU'LL TYPICALLY SEE THOSE ANIMALS SORT OF
WALKING ALONG ALONG THE BOTTOM AND THAT'S WHEN
OFTENTIMES YOU'LL SEE THOSE BEAUTIFUL PECTORAL FINS FLARE
OUT IN THAT HORIZONTAL OR FLAT POSITION.
OURS HAS A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE BEHAVIOR SO IT REALLY LIKES
TO STAY UP IN THE WATER COLUMN.
IT'S NOT LIKE THEY WON'T GET UP AND SWIM,
JUST LIKE YOU'RE SEEING OURS IN OUR EXHIBIT.
BUT THEY REALLY ARE IN THE LOWER SORT OF
DEAD THICK LOWER ZONE IN A CORAL REEF SYSTEM.
SAM: WHAT KIND OF FOOD DO THE GURNARDS LIKE TO EAT?
HOLLY: THEY'LL MORE THAN LIKELY EAT MORE BOTTOM DWELLERS.
OURS IN THE EXHIBIT WILL EAT SMALL PIECES OF FISH,
WE CALL IT MIXED CUT BECAUSE IT'S A MIXED VARIETY,
WHETHER IT'S SHRIMP, CAPELIN, SMELT.
SAM: I'VE HEARD THAT THEY LIKE TO MAKE NOISES UNDERWATER?
WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY DO OR HOW DO THEY MAKE THOSE NOISES?
HOLLY: THAT SOUND YOU'RE HEARING IS A GRUNTING SOUND,
FROM INSIDE THEIR ORAL CAVITY.
AND SO IT'S AH, PROBABLY IS FOR ATTRACTING OTHER GURNARDS.
SAM: SO WHY ARE FLYING GURNARDS SO IMPORTANT TO THE
MARINE ECOSYSTEM?
HOLLY: JUST LIKE ALL THE FISH, LIKE THE MORAY EELS,
THE SPOTFIN PORCUPINE FISH, THE BONNETHEADS.
THEY ALL PLAY A PART IN WHAT I LIKE TO CALL A PUZZLE.
THEY'RE PART OF THAT DIVERSITY OF A REEF SYSTEM,
SO YOU WANT THAT EQUAL BALANCE.
SAM: WHAT AN AWESOME ADVENTURE WE HAD AT
THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM.
I SAW SOME PRETTY FANTASTIC FISH LIKE THE FLYING GURNARD,
THAT CAN 'WALK' ON THE OCEAN FLOOR;
HAS PECTORAL FINS THAT LOOK LIKE GIANT WINGS; AND GRUNTS.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON WHAT SAM SEES.