I, Chrumps, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Archerfish

Nov 17, 2009

Design

Archerfish

The archerfish gets its name from its ability to shoot a precisely-aimed stream of water at its prey, which are mostly insects living on land. The archerfish’s special ability relies heavily on its vision. It has been shown that the archerfish can see its victim through the water without the image being distorted. The information for this ability was given to the archerfish by its Creator; it did not slowly evolve this ability over millions of years.

Features

  • Archerfish can vary in color, but most of them have either silver or yellow bodies with vertical black bars.

Fun Facts

  • The archerfish can shoot an insect up to 6 ft (1.8 m) above the water’s surface.
  • This fish also jumps out of the water to catch its prey in mid-air.
  • The archerfish automatically adjusts the force it uses to dislodge its prey according to the size of its prey.

Created Kind Members

CLASS: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
ORDER: Perciformes (perch-like fishes)
FAMILY: Toxotidae (archerfishes)
GENUS/SPECIES: Toxotes (Seven different species)

Size: Average 10 in (25.4 cm); up to 16 in (40 cm)
Depth: Shallow waters
Habitat: Swamps of India, New Guinea, Australia, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia

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