# Flying Plankton--newslink **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453 "2012-03-21T23:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/1 "2012-03-21T23:14:43Z")
HOORAY! We got flying plankton! > **['Flying plankton' escape predatory fish](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17430640)** > > Tiny shrimp-like creatures known as copepods break through the ocean's surface and leap through the air to escape predators, US scientists say. > [@](#): > > Tiny shrimp-like creatures called copepods break through the ocean’s surface and leap through the air to escape predators, US scientists say. > > They have been investigating how the brightly-coloured Pontellid copepods, which live close to the surface, are so abundant yet so c > However, his research shows they have the ability to jump out of the water, often travelling 10 to 20 times their own body length through the air, to escape hungry fish and get out of their perspective field. Now what? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/2 "2012-03-21T23:18:55Z")
**Plankton** : SpongeBob, you will be mine! [laughs evily] ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/3 "2012-03-22T02:05:11Z")
Well yes, I was flying just yesterday as a matter of fact…La Guardia → O’Hare → Sacramento. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/4 "2012-03-22T02:15:01Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > HOORAY! We got flying plankton! > > ['Flying plankton' escape predatory fish - BBC News](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17430640) > > Now what? Where’s my damn flying car? We were promised flying cars! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/5 "2012-03-22T02:16:20Z")
Sounds like a great circus act: The Flying Copepod Brothers! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/6 "2012-03-23T17:25:49Z")
I did some cursory Googling, but wasn’t able to come up with any estimate of how many of these things might be (however temporarily) in the oceans. Just the flying ones (do all Pontellids “fly,” or just a subset?) I would imagine the number is “uncounted squillions” or somesuch, but I’m just guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/7 "2012-03-23T17:30:34Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > HOORAY! We got flying plankton! > > ['Flying plankton' escape predatory fish - BBC News](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17430640) > > Now what? Flying spaghetti monsters? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-plankton-newslink/616453/8 "2012-03-24T01:48:51Z")
That’s not flying! That’s… falling, with style!