Unlikely looking aerobatics performed by fish have given researchers an insight into how aquatic animals evolved to live on land.
Researchers discovered that at least six different types of fish are able to launch themselves into the air from a solid surface.
The team said this was an evolutionary snapshot of the transition from living in water to inhabiting land.
They published their findings in the Journal of Experimental Zoology A.
Lead scientist Alice Gibb from Northern Arizona University was surprised to find that every species she tested was able to jump.
It suggests that, rather than a rare adaptation that evolved in a select few species, the ability to leap on land is common among bony fishes. So many more of their ancient aquatic relatives might have invaded the land than had previously been thought.
"In my mind, that opens up the fossil record to re-interpretation," Dr Gibb told BBC Nature.
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By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature
