Archerfish
| Archerfish | |
|---|---|
| Banded archerfish, Toxotes jaculatrix | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Toxotidae |
| Genus: | Toxotes Cuvier, 1816 |
Archerfish (or archer fish) are small fish. Some live in fresh water. Others live in salt water. They live from India to the Philippines, Australia, and Polynesia.
Archerfish eat insects and other small animals. The archerfish looks for an insect hanging over the water. The archerfish shoots drops of water out of its mouth at the insect. When the drops hit the insect, it falls into the water. Then the archerfish catches (gets) the insect and eats it.
Archerfish can hit insects up to two meters (six feet) away. Adult archerfish almost always hit the insect the first time, but young archerfish must do it many times in order to learn how.
Other websites[change | change source]
- Archerfish capturing prey
- Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore: Archerfish
- Information and Photos on Archerfish
- Archerfish Can Adjust Their Deadly Shots Based on the Size of the Prey - LiveScience.com
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Wikispecies has information on: Toxotes. |
