We all know that birds and certain insects are blessed with the ability to fly. Their wings short or long help them thrust themselves above the ground and soar in the skies. So, its natural to think that animals without wings cannot fly. But there are few exceptions this rule.
Let us look at the top 4 animals that are not supposed to fly but have managed to achieve this feat through some crazy adaptations in their body.
Frog – Wallace’s flying frog
Frogs are one of the species with a brilliant adaptation to suit them. Their hind legs. The hind legs of most frogs are so strong that if considered in the proportions of a human it would be similar to a human able to jump 100 feet in a single stride. But such a brilliant adaptation alone wasn’t enough for Wallace’s frog found in Malay peninsula. Named after its founder, the frog lives high up in the trees and has unusually huge webbed limbs. Once expanded, the webbed feet help the frog to parachute down. Though they cannot glide sideward like other gliding species the frog still is able to reach the ground safe either to escape from predators or mainly to find suitable mates to grow the species.
Watch this informative video on the same : Wallace’s Flying Frog
Snake – Flying Snake
The general potrayal that crosses ones mind about a snake is the way they slither and hiss and pounce from the ground to inject a dose of their lethal venom (Venomous snake article to be linked). That is enough to terrorize most people. What if they are told that snakes can attack from air too. That’s true! There is species of snake that can fly, glide to be precise. This species of flying snake is fond in the forests of South east Asia and is able to glide from tree tops. The snake is able to do that by propelling itself in the air away from the tree, flattening its body and by creating a motion akin to that of a frisbee by continual slithering movement in air. This enables the snake to avoid predators in land and reach distances of many meters in single jump. There have been findings of this species making a 100 mtr glide. However this species is rather small when compared to other venomous species and the venom too is not dangerous to humans. So, there is no need to fear about an aerial snake attack!
Squirrel – Flying Squirrel
There are some species of squirrels that are able to glide with help of fluffy fur like skin connecting their limbs. For the average human on the ground, it looks like that the squirrel is flying in air. These squirrels have specialized cartilages that help the squirrel maintain its upward posture while gliding. Though they cannot glide for long distances they have been known to glide upto 90mts in air.
Watch this informative video on the same : Flying Squirrel
Fish – Flying fish
For some species of fish, the water along is just not enough. These avid explorers have managed to find a way to get a feel of the outside world too. The flying fish is not just a single species, but a family of fish called the exocoetidae. The species in this family are able to propel out of water and then glide just above the surface with wings like fins. When they enter the water after the glide they fold their fins back to enable an aerodynamic entry. Often the fish extends its glide by propelling back in the air with its tail fins. The average length of a glide is 50 mts but with multiple propels from surface they have been known to extend the glide to upto 400 mts. They might not be one of the cutest sea fish ( Top 5 cute sea animals) but are definitely one of the fastest due to this amazing adaptation.
