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14 October 2026
Some fish wait for food to fall into the water. The archerfish has a rather different plan.
It can shoot a narrow jet of water at an insect resting on a leaf or branch above the surface. If the aim is right, the insect falls into the water, where the fish can eat it.
That sounds simple until you remember that the target is not underwater. The fish must locate its prey above the surface and compensate for the way light bends as it passes from air into water.
The archerfish has evolved a way of doing this with remarkable accuracy. It presses its mouth into a small opening and forces water through it, creating a jet aimed at the unsuspecting insect.
Young archerfish can also improve their accuracy through practice, and hitting a target may become more difficult when the insect is farther away.
Imagine being an insect, resting quietly on a leaf, and suddenly finding yourself knocked into the water by a fish you had never even noticed.
The archerfish does not leap out of the water or chase its prey across the branches. It has found a way to bring the meal to itself.
Nature is full of hunters that run, fly, pounce or lie in wait. This one takes aim.
And for a fish, that is quite a remarkable way to have dinner.
Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com
