Banded archerfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Banded archerfish |
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The banded archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix) is a cool fish that lives in brackish water. This means it lives in water that's a mix of fresh and salty water, like where rivers meet the sea. It's famous for its amazing hunting skill: it can shoot a jet of water to knock down insects and other small prey from plants above the water!
These fish are silvery with unique, triangle-like markings on their sides. They have a fin on their back, near their tail. Bigger archerfish can shoot water up to 2 to 3 meters (about 6 to 10 feet) away! Once the prey hits the water, the archerfish can grab it in less than a second.
The name "archerfish" comes from how they hunt, like an archer shooting an arrow. You can find banded archerfish in places like the Indo-Pacific and Oceania. They often live in river mouths and mangrove estuaries. They can move between fresh, salt, and brackish water during their lives. Because of their interesting look, some people keep them as aquarium fish, but they are quite hard to care for.
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What's in a Name? The Archerfish Story
The banded archerfish was first described by a scientist named Peter Simon Pallas in 1767. Its scientific name is Toxotes jaculatrix.
The word Toxotes comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "bowman" or "archer." This clearly points to how the fish hunts. The second part of its name, jaculatrix, means "thrower" or "caster." So, both the common name and the scientific name describe how this fish "shoots" water to catch its food!
Meet the Banded Archerfish: Appearance
Banded archerfish have a body shape that's a bit long and raised towards the back. They are usually silver-white. Their back can be olive-green or brown. They have four to six wide black stripes on their upper body. These stripes get shorter as the fish gets older.
Their eyes are quite large and are positioned so they can see with both eyes at once, which helps them aim. Their snout is pointy. Young archerfish might be yellow-green or brown on top and silvery underneath.
How Banded Archerfish Compare to Other Archerfish
Sometimes, banded archerfish are mixed up with other types of archerfish, like the largescale archerfish (Toxotes chatareus). But there are ways to tell them apart!
The banded archerfish usually has four dorsal spines (the hard, pointy parts of its back fin), while the largescale archerfish has five. Also, the banded archerfish has those four or five wedge-shaped bands. The largescale archerfish, however, has six or seven spots and shorter bands. The banded archerfish is silvery, but the largescale archerfish is darker, almost sooty.
It can also be tricky to tell the banded archerfish from the smallscale archerfish (Toxotes microlepis). The main difference is in their last two bands. On the banded archerfish, these bands reach the dorsal fin. But on the smallscale archerfish, they don't; instead, there are two separate spots on the dorsal fin.
Amazing Habits of the Archerfish
What They Eat and How They Hunt
Banded archerfish eat both plants and animals. During the day, they swim near the surface looking for food. Their diet includes plant bits and, most famously, insects. They can "shoot down" insects from branches above the water. They can also jump out of the water to grab prey directly.
Young archerfish often hunt in small groups. This helps them learn to aim. If one fish misses, another might hit the target! They also eat prey found underwater, like small crustaceans and tiny fish.
The Incredible Water Shot
Banded archerfish have a special mouth that lets them spit strong jets of water. To do this, they press their tongue against the roof of their mouth, making a tube. Then, they quickly close their gill covers, which squeezes water out through the tube.
Most archerfish can shoot water about 1.5 meters (5 feet) away. Some larger ones can even shoot up to 3 meters (10 feet)! When they hit a target, the fish starts swimming towards where the prey will land very quickly, often reaching it in less than a second.
Scientists have found that archerfish can learn to hit moving targets with good accuracy. They can even learn from watching other archerfish in their group! This shows they are smart and can adapt their hunting skills.
It's amazing how accurate they are, even though light bends when it goes from air to water. It was once thought they had to be directly under their target. But later studies showed they can shoot accurately even from an angle. This means they can somehow adjust for how light bends, showing they are very good at judging distances in three dimensions.
Breeding Habits
Not much is known about how banded archerfish breed. They start breeding when they are about 10 cm (4 inches) long. They reproduce by releasing eggs. Some reports say they go to saltwater reefs to lay their eggs, but this isn't fully confirmed. A female archerfish can lay a huge number of eggs, from 20,000 to 150,000 at one time! They rarely breed when kept in aquariums.
Where Do Banded Archerfish Live?
Banded archerfish live in the Indo-Pacific region and off the northern coast of Australia. You can find them from India all the way east to the Philippine Islands, and south to Australia. They are also seen near the Solomon Islands and the islands of Indonesia.
They mostly live in areas with brackish water, especially in mangrove estuaries. Sometimes, they swim upstream into freshwater rivers. They like areas with plants hanging over the water, which is perfect for their hunting style. While they might move between fresh and salt water during their lives, they don't do this for breeding.
Archerfish and People
Banded archerfish are quite common in the Indo-Pacific, so they are not currently in danger of disappearing. People sometimes catch them for food or to sell as aquarium fish. However, their homes, like mangrove swamps, can be damaged by pollution, which could affect their numbers.
Keeping Archerfish as Pets
Species of archerfish, including the banded archerfish, are sometimes kept in home aquariums. In a tank, they can grow up to 25 cm (10 inches) long. They usually swim near the top of the water.
You can keep them in small groups of three to five fish. Fish of the same size usually get along well. However, larger archerfish might be aggressive towards smaller ones and even try to eat them! They can live for five to eight years in a tank, sometimes even longer.
Archerfish need warm water, usually between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius (77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit). Their tank should be large, with some plants but also plenty of open space for swimming. It needs to be at least 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) deep.
Banded archerfish are generally not recommended for most home aquariums, even though they look cool. They are hard to care for because they need special conditions. They prefer to shoot and catch live food instead of eating regular fish flakes. They also need brackish water and a tall lid on the tank. In the wild, they jump out of the water to catch prey, so a tall lid is needed to stop them from jumping out of the aquarium! Because they are so difficult to care for, they are rarely bred in captivity.
See also
- Big scale archerfish (Toxotes oligolepis), also known as the Western archerfish
- List of brackish aquarium fish species
