Welcome to our daily dose of Bitachon as we continue in Shaar Habechina in the wonders of the fish world and today we'll have a very interesting one: the flying fish. The wonder is it can fly for over 600 feet and reach heights of 20 feet above the water, and it could stay airborne for up to 45 seconds. It has an asymmetrical tail, the bottom lobe is longer, and oversized fins that function as a type of wing. What is the purpose of this? To escape fast-swimming predators by launching into a different medium where the predator's speed advantage becomes zero. Imagine you're just chasing a car and then it just disappears, well that's basically what the predator is feeling when it chases this flying fish. The flight doesn't start with wings, as we know it's underwater, so it can't start with its wings. It starts with a specialized engine. As the fish's body leaves the water, the long bottom lobe of the tail remains submerged. It vibrates its tail 70 times per second, acting like an outboard motor, continuing to accelerate the fish after its body is already in the air. By flying inches above the waves, the fish traps a cushion of air between its wings and the water surface. This ground effect provides extra lift and allows the fish to travel much further than it could in the open sky, saving vital energy during its escape. Now, there's another big problem that this fish should have because transitioning from water to air is difficult because light refracts differently in each medium. So flying fish have flattened corneas. This specialized eye shape allows them to see clearly both underwater and in the air. Most fish are effectively blind the moment they break the surface, but the flying fish maintains its situational awareness. Now let's keep reminding ourselves: these are multiple adaptations that are all necessary together in this fish. They can't develop separately. There's no reason to have flat corneas if you're staying underwater all the time. There's no reason to have a tail that vibrates 70 times per second. And another thing I left out is that they have enlarged fins that act as wings, which other fish don't have. So all these things are working in sync to create what's necessary. Again, evolution doesn't know how to do that, or quite anything. One of the most interesting fish is the deep sea anglerfish. The wonder is in a world where food is scarce, it doesn't search for prey. It brings them to its mouth. How so? It grows a fishing rod out of its spine that glows with a blue-green light. They use curiosity as a weapon, luring prey through the dark abyss towards its enormous needle-like teeth. So they're basically like the light that attracts flies. Now where does this light come from? I'm sure you're familiar with symbiosis, which is a phenomena where different creatures work together to help each other's survival. And the light is not made by fish. It is made by bioluminescent bacteria that live inside a specialized bulb on the fish. So the fish benefits from these bacteria because it gives it the light that it needs. So basically this specialized bulb is a high-tech apartment for the bacteria. Now what do the bacteria gain out of it? The fish provides the bacteria with oxygen and nutrients from its own blood. In exchange, the bacteria provide light through a chemical reaction. The fish can turn the light off by constricting the blood flow to the bulb, allowing it to vanish instantly if a larger predator appears. And again, symbiosis is a wonder of wonders how fish work in tandem. Why in the world would you need a fishing rod if it couldn't attract anything? And you have to have this bulb on top. Well how would you know that these bacteria would decide to rent space in this specialized bulb coming out of your spine? All of these things can. And maybe one day we'll dedicate some classes on the phenomena of symbiosis, how different creatures work together in synchronization