Archerfish

Archerfish are fish of the genus Toxotes that knock insects and other prey into the water by shooting jets of water at them.

Water-jet shooting: A feeding behavior in which an archerfish expels a focused stream of water to dislodge prey above the surface. This is the archerfish’s signature method for bringing airborne prey within reach.
Toxotes: A genus of fishes commonly known as archerfish, native to brackish and freshwater habitats in the Indo-Pacific. Archerfish species belong to this genus.
Animal cognition: The study of mental processes in nonhuman animals, including learning, memory, and decision-making. Their flexible shooting behavior is used to investigate how fish learn and adjust actions.
Toxotes chatareus: An archerfish species found in Indo-Pacific coastal and estuarine waters. It is one of the named species illustrating the diversity within the genus.
Refraction: The change in direction of light as it passes between materials with different optical properties. Archerfish compensate for the apparent displacement of prey viewed through the water surface.
Perciformes: A large order of ray-finned fishes that includes perches, cichlids, and many other groups. Toxotes belongs to this broad grouping of spiny-rayed fishes.
Comparative psychology: The study of behavior and mental processes across different animal species. Archerfish let researchers compare visual learning in fish with that in other animals.
Toxotes blythii: A freshwater archerfish species native to parts of Southeast Asia. Its freshwater habitat contrasts with the estuarine settings of many archerfish.
Visual perception in fish: The sensory processes by which fish detect and interpret visual information in aquatic environments. Accurate shots depend on how archerfish locate prey and judge its position.
Mangrove forest: A coastal ecosystem dominated by salt-tolerant trees growing in tropical and subtropical intertidal zones. Mangrove branches often hang over water where archerfish hunt insects.

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Suction feedingRelated: It contrasts aquatic suction capture with a specialized, water-jet hunting method.