archerfish

Everyday

1. An archerfish is a small fish of warm rivers and mangroves in Asia and northern Australia that shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off leaves above the water. tree →
2. It then swims to eat the insect when it falls. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons the archerfish is an amazing hunter: it can aim even though light bends where water meets air (refraction), and it learns by watching other fish. It is an example of an animal adaptation. Phrases: archerfish jet, spit water.

Examples

• The archerfish spat a jet of water and knocked a beetle into the river. tree →
• An archerfish can hit insects more than a metre away. tree →
• Archerfish live in mangrove swamps in Australia. tree →
• The archerfish corrects its aim for the bending of light. tree →
• Young archerfish learn by watching older ones. tree →
• At the aquarium, the archerfish shot water at a target. tree →
• The archerfish has stripes on its silvery sides. tree →

Note

Plural archerfish (like «fish»). Written as one word, sometimes «archer fish». It is not related to archery; it gets the name because it «shoots».