The water pistol of the fish world
Q: Which fish catches insects by shooting jets of water at them? -Abhishek Sarangan, Sharjah, United
Arab Emirates
 A: The Archerfish does. This 9-inch fish
— found mostly along coasts from
India through Southeast Asia, the Malay Archipelago, and parts of Australia to
the Philippines — lives mainly in brackish waters of mangrove swamps.
Archerfish shoots water jets at insects.
An adult Archerfish can zap insects from a distance of six feet. Normally they dine on worms, shrimp, and
other small water animals near the surface. But when really hungry, these black and white striped fish fire
small drops of water with great accuracy at unsuspecting insects crawling on nearby leaves or stems. If they
miss, they rapid fire again, like a machine gun. The jet knocks the insect into the water so the fish can gobble
him down.
A fish sets up the shot by positioning his snout so it just breaks water but his eyes are underwater. Suddenly,
he clenches his jaw muscles. This squeezes his gill-covers and drives water into his mouth. At the same time,
he raises his tongue, which converts a groove in his mouth into a tube, like a peashooter. The water jets through the tube, strikes the
unlucky target, and knocks the archerfish's next snack within reach.
(Answered March 13, 2002)
Further Surfing:
Vienna U: archerfish hunting strategies
Gia Tan: Archerfish
Waikiki Aquarium: Archerfish
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