The 1899 Tripartite Convention partitioned the Samoan Islands between Germany and the United States. With the start of World War I, Germany lost its claim to New Zealand; this part of the island chain became the country of Samoa. The United States continues to hold the eastern section of the archipelago.
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Cheilopogon spilopterus - The manyspotted flyingfish is one of about forty species of flying fish. It is found in the neritic waters stretching from the Eastern Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific Ocean. The neritic zone describes a shallow region above the continental shelf drop off area. The manyspotted flyingfish feeds primarily on zooplankton and small fish. Flying fish have torpedo-shaped bodies with strong pectoral fins able to accelerate them to speeds powerful enough to leap out of the water and shoot forward for up to 200 meters.
