Sharpshooting Archerfish

Banded archerfish. I, Chrumps, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Archerfish spit jets of water to dislodge insects and other small animals resting on twigs or leaves above the water’s surface. New analyses of high-speed video reveal that precisely timed fin movements are needed to stabilize the shooter against recoil during the release of the water jet. Researchers say it’s just one of the many behavioral adaptations that make this fish unique.

Read more on my Animal Minds blog: The Underwater Sharpshooter.