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.
