Archerfish

Toxotes jaculatrix                              Southeastern Asia and Australia

Although an archerfish's main diet consists of worms, shrimp and other small animals, the 9-inch swimmer is also able to shoot insects off overhanging foliage with a forceful stream of water droplets. In this way the keen-eyed fish is actually more like a repeating BB gun than a bow and arrow. To minimize the effects of refraction and maximize the odds of a bull's-eye, the great striped hunter positions itself directly under its unsuspecting prey and flicks its unique tongue, sending water jets as high as 5 feet. If it misses the target, the determined fish will usually reload and re-aim. Sometimes, however, it forgoes the ammo and instead leaps from the water to snag its dinner with sure-fire jaws.