Wonders of Creation

When taking aim, the archer fish takes refraction into account - the way light bends as it enters water.

 

The archer fish is able to correct its aim to anticipate an insect's true position, rather than the perceived one from underwater

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•If an insect is 10 centimetres above the surface of the water, the archer fish factors in a ‘spit fall’ of between zero and two centimetres, while if the insect is higher above the water at 30 centimetres, the ‘spit fall’ ranges from two to 15 centimetres.

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•Strangely, the spit actually accelerates when it climbs higher.

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•They believe the fish manages this by spitting in a special way, to ensure that the tail end of the jet of water is moving faster than the start of the stream.

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•The archer fish also accounts for how gravity bends the jet of water’s path. It therefore aims higher than the object it wants to hit.

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•The creature ensures that the water jet does not break up into droplets by ensuring the water at the back of the stream is moving faster than the front.

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•By using this technique, the fish concentrates the energy of the stream into the front ‘blob’ to hit the insect harder than if it hunted at point-blank range.

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•Adult fish almost always hit their insect target on their first attempt.

•They can bring down insects on perches three metres above the water's surface.

•They have good eyesight and the ability to compensate for the refraction of light as it passes through the air-water interface when aiming for their prey.

•It squirts water using the narrow groove in the roof of its mouth.

•The creature presses its tongue against this groove to form a narrow channel, then contracts its gill covers to force a powerful jet of water through the channel.

•The resulting jet of water can be up to five metres long. The fish can alter the power of the shot for prey of different sizes.

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•Fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving God who care for us all and His creation.

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•Praise God