The Fish that Fly(a)|圣卡塔利娜岛的飞鱼季(a)

The Fish that Fly 圣卡塔利娜岛的飞鱼季

by Timothy Laird

The Flying Fish Festival is officially celebrated on Santa Catalina Island every year.

每一年圣卡塔利娜岛上都会在飞鱼季时举办正式庆典。

If you travel to Santa Catalina Island at the right time of year, you are in for a real treat. From May to September, this rocky island off the coast of California is visited by some very special guests—flying fish. To welcome these charming creatures, the Flying Fish Festival is celebrated for four days in a row each year, during which millions of tourists crowd the island just to sneak a peek at them.

Flying fish don't actually fly. To be precise, they merely glide above the surface of the water for a distance, but they do it so gracefully that people often assume they are flying. There are numerous species of flying fish, most of which can be found in warm ocean waters worldwide. They are all small in size, with a maximum length of about 45 centimeters.

The secret to their flying ability lies in their wing-like pectoral fins, which are almost as long as their bodies. The flying fish use these enlarged fins to provide lift during flight. Their strong, unevenly forked tails also play a very important role in helping them take off. When the fish prepare to go into the air, they build up speed underwater and approach the surface with their fins held tightly against their streamlined bodies. Upon breaking the surface, they spread out their fins while their tails continue to beat rapidly underwater, which propels the fish forward. After gaining sufficient speed, the tails temporarily clear the water and the fish are airborne for a short while before falling back into the water.

      你若正巧在一年里的这个时候到圣卡塔利娜岛旅行，你将会有大大的收获。从 5月到 9 月，这座位于加州外海岩石遍布的岛屿都会有贵客来访──飞鱼。为了迎接这些迷人的生物，每一年都会连续庆祝 4 天的飞鱼节，在这段期间里，数百万名游客涌上这个岛屿只为了看牠们一眼。

　　飞鱼并不是真的会飞。确切来说，牠们只是在水面上滑翔一段距离，可是牠们在滑翔的时候是那么地优雅，常常让人以为牠们是在飞行。飞鱼有许多品种，大多数都可以在世界上各大洋的温水海域见到。牠们的尺寸都很小，最长的只有大约 45 公分。

　　飞鱼能够飞行的秘密在于牠们拥有像翅膀一般的胸鳍，这对胸鳍几乎与牠们的身体一样长。飞鱼运用这对大胸鳍来提供飞行时往上升的力量。牠们强而有力且分叉参差不齐的尾鳍也在帮助牠们起飞时扮演了重要角色。当飞鱼准备跃入空中时会在水里加速，并在接触水面时将胸鳍紧贴着牠们流线型的身躯。在破水而出之际，牠们在伸展胸鳍的同时，尾鳍仍在水下急速摆动，推动飞鱼向前。在达到足够的速度后，尾鳍会暂时离开水面，此时飞鱼会在空中滑翔一小段时间才掉回水中。