Found in warm and tropical seas, flying gurnards are elongated fish with very large pectoral fins, each of which is divided into a shorter forward portion and a much larger, winglike posterior section. These fins are quite colourful; those of the Atlantic Dactylopterus volitans (see photograph-->), for example, are brightly spotted with blue. Flying gurnards are further characterized by a covering of bony plates on their heads and by a single dorsal fin ray, separate from the rest of the fin and located on the nape of the neck. Flying gurnards grow to a maximum length of about 50 cm (20 inches). They are bottom dwellers but are reportedly able to glide above the water for short distances on their outspread pectoral fins.