Archerfish

The Archerfish (also known as the Spinnerfish) is a small fish ranging from Southeast Asia to Northern Australia. They are mostly freshwater fish with a few species that live in brackish habitats near the coastline.

Typically, Archerfish are most known for preying on land-based insects by shooting them with a stream of water from their mouth.

4 Archerfish Facts

• Archers — literally: Archerfish actually “shoot” their prey with a stream of water and can shoot up to 5 feet above the water’s surface. This is not an instinct; rather, they learn from other fish when they are young and develop their accuracy over time.
• Smart: Archerfish learn to hunt prey with streams of water. In captivity, if not presented with flying insects and fed like regular fish, they forget how to hunt and stop shooting the streams of water.
• Very Good Eyesight: The Archerfish have more developed eyes than most fish. This allows them to focus and judge the distance to their prey. Their body and eyes are underwater when they shoot, with only their mouth above the surface. Surprisingly, their eyes do not correct for the light refraction in the water, so they must learn and adjust for this.
• Complicated Water Jet: The stream of water they shoot is created by pressing their tongue to the roof of their mouth. When done correctly, this creates a small channel for the water to pass through. Water is drawn in through their gills and pressed out of the mouth through the channel. The water at the beginning of the stream moves more slowly than the water at the rear of the stream, and the archerfish can judge the distance to the target. This results in the water hitting the target in one forceful “blob,” causing the prey to fall to the water’s surface, where the archerfish consume them.

Classification and Scientific Name

Sometimes, archerfish are also called “spinner fish.” Archerfish are in the order Perciformes, which is the largest order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. In all, this order contains 160 families. Specifically, the Archerfish is in the Toxotidae family.

As you’d guess, “archer” refers to how the fish can “shoot” their prey from a distance, much like an archer uses a bow and arrow. When translated, Toxotes means “bowman” or “archer.”

Appearance

The bodies of archerfish are elongated, with deep bodies almost flat from the dorsal fin. Sizes are typically small, about 12 to 18 cm. The largest species can grow to 40 cm. 

The most common coloring is silver to white in color, with a few dark bands spaced vertically on the body. These white and black markings camouflage the fish in the underwater mangrove vegetation. 

Furthermore, their small and slender bodies also reduce the visibility from the surface.

Distribution, Population, and Habitat

Archerfish are mainly found in Southeast Asia, from India to the Philippines, Indonesia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and New Guinea. Plus, some species are found in Northern Australia. They live mostly in freshwater streams, rivers, and brackish waters near the coast.

Archerfish are quite common and can spawn up to 150,000 eggs at once that hatch in 12 hours. However, their main threat is habitat destruction from human development and pollution.

Sadly, five types of archer fish — banded, big scale, primitive, small scale, and zebra — are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with “stable” or “unknown” population trends.

Predators and Prey

For the most part, the Archerfish are carnivores. They hunt near the water’s surface and shoot their prey with a stream of water. They can shoot multiple times or even jump out of the water if needed.Typically, the prey is consumed once it falls to the water’s surface.

What Eats Archerfish?

Predators that threaten Archerfish include humans, other larger fish, and birds of prey. Luckily, these fish are fast swimmers and can easily evade larger fish. 

They stay near the surface to hunt. However, they can quickly dive deep to evade birds. Instead, humans are the biggest threat, as they collect them for the pet trade.

What Do Archerfish Eat?

For the most part, Archerfish mainly eat insects, spiders, smaller fish, and crustaceans. Usually, they are excellent hunters and can shoot streams of water up to 5 feet above the surface of the water. 

Often, their prey is resting on the vegetation just above the surface. However, they can also hit moving targets with practice.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Archerfish spawn at the beginning of the rainy season, which ends tropical dry spells. They are known to swim out from the brackish areas and spawn near the coral reefs and rocks.

They can lay between 3,000 and 20,000 eggs, with some of the larger species laying up to 150,000. These fish are mature at one year of age and typically have a short life span of fewer than three years.

Fishing and Cooking

Archerfish are mainly caught for the pet trade and are not eaten by humans. Since they are small, fast, and live mainly in brackish mangrove areas, they are hard to catch. These areas have murky water and are full of vegetation. 

They are mainly caught by hand with nets in small quantities. Typically, they are much more valuable when sold as pets than when eaten. Since they are small, they do not provide much nourishment.