Article 2AZ1P This fish hunts by spitting water at its prey

This fish hunts by spitting water at its prey

by
David Pescovitz
from on (#2AZ1P)
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The Archerfish of Southeast Asia and Australia spit at perched insects to knock them into the water for an easy meal. From KQED's "Deep Look":

"When the fish fires the shot," (Wake Forest University biologist Morgan) Burnett explained, citing the work of other researchers in Germany who first used high-speed cameras to observe the projectiles in 2014, "the water leaves the mouth as essentially a very long stream. But during flight, the stream merges into a ball."

The fish accomplishes this feat of timing through deliberate control of its highly-evolved mouthparts, in particular its lips, which act like an adjustable hose that can expand and contract while releasing the water.

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