kids encyclopedia robot

Archerfish facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Archerfish
Toxotes jaculatrix.jpg
Banded archerfish, Toxotes jaculatrix
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Toxotidae
Genus:
Toxotes

Cuvier, 1816

Archerfish (or archer fish) are small fish. Some live in fresh water. Others live in salt water. They live from India to the Philippines, Australia, and Polynesia.

Archerfish eat insects and other small animals. The archerfish looks for an insect hanging over the water. The archerfish shoots drops of water out of its mouth at the insect. When the drops hit the insect, it falls into the water. Then the archerfish catches (gets) the insect and eats it.

Archerfish can hit insects up to two meters (six feet) away. Adult archerfish almost always hit the insect the first time, but young archerfish must do it many times in order to learn how.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Peces arquero para niños

kids search engine
Archerfish Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.