Of all methods of obtaining food, that used by the archer fish of India is easily the strangest.
This fish feeds upon insects that live along the banks of streams and ponds. When it sees an insect hovering near the water surface or perched on an overhanging branch, it swims slowly until near its prey and carefully raises its mouth close to the water surface.
Then Sput! and a drop of water is shot from the fish’s mouth with unerring accuracy strikes the insect and knocks it into the water where the fish can get it.
The archer fish are surprisingly accurate at a distance of three or four feet, and some observers say that they have brought down prey at a distance of six feet. Within recent years some of these fish have become available as aquarium exhibits, and many of them will display their marksmanship in captivity.