Photo credit: sh-aquarium.com
Beetles and lizards beware: when the archer fish is on the prowl, you may want to hold on to your branch a little tighter!
Wait – how is a six-inch long fish conquering bugs and small reptiles outside of the water?
Well, the archer fish is a skilled marksman. It shoots water from its mouth, knocking nearby targets off their secure branches and directly into the water where the fish is waiting for its next meal.
Quick facts about this unique hunting technique:
- The archer fish can hit a target up to five-feet away.
- It forms a tube with its tongue and uses gill muscles to shoot the water at its prey.
- The fish can gauge how much its prey weighs and can then calculate how much water will be needed to knock the target into the water.
- The jet stream of water is flying at about 10X the amount of force a bug uses to hang onto a branch.
Now, see the archer fish in action:
Video credit: NatGeo’s World’s Deadliest