Yet these behemoths’ most puzzling feature is a whip-like tail that can measure as long as the rest of the fish’s body. Why mantas and related rays have such long tails has long been a mystery.

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 ...

a marked ability of the fish to avoid obstacles while swimming backwards. The hind end and particularly the finger-like tail are known to contain tissues corresponding to an electric organ ...