Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
FLYING FISH
Flying fish can be seen jumping out of warm
ocean waters worldwide. Their streamlined
torpedo shape helps them gather enough
underwater speed to break the surface, and
their large, wing-like pectoral fins get them
airborne.
Flying fish are thought to have evolved
this remarkable gliding ability to escape
predators, of which they have many. Their
hunters include mackerel, tuna, sword
fish, marlin, and other larger fish. For their
nutrition, flying fish feed on a variety of
food, including plankton, bacteria and other
tiny marine creatures. The average lifespan
of flying fish is around five years in the wild.
In size they can grow up to 18 inches.
There are about 40 known species of flying
fish. Beyond their useful pectoral fins, all
have unevenly forked tails, with the lower
lobe longer than the upper lobe. Many
species have enlarged pelvic fins as well and
are known as four-winged flying fish.
The process of taking flight, or gliding,
begins by gaining great velocity underwater,
about 37 miles (60 kilometers) per hour.
Angling upward, the four-winged flying
fish breaks the surface and begins to taxi
by rapidly beating its tail while it is still
beneath the surface. It then takes to the air,
sometimes reaching heights of over 4 feet
(1.2 metres) and gliding long distances, up
to 655 feet (200 metres). Once it nears the
surface again, it can flap its tail and taxi
without fully returning to the water. Capable
of continuing its flight in such a manner,
flying fish have been recorded stretching
out their flights with consecutive glides
spanning distances up to 1,312 feet (400 metres).
Flying fish can soar high
enough that sailors often find them on the
decks of their ships.
Flying fish swim in large schools (groups)
and are attracted to light, like a number of
sea creatures, and fishermen take advantage
of this with ample results. Canoes, filled
with enough water to sustain fish, but not
enough to allow them to propel themselves
out, are affixed with a luring light at night
to capture flying fish by the dozens. There
is currently no protection status on these
animals.
Flying fish can fly over _______ feet above water.
A37
B655
C4
D1312