The family of Archer Fish is very small consisting of only seven species in the genus Toxotes; all occur in brackish, fresh and marine deep pool like waters in India, Australia, Philippines and Polynesia. The reproduction takes place by the male Archer Fish putting its sperm in the female. Then the female lays its eggs which takes five months time to hatch. The bodies of Archer Fish are compressed and deep, having dorsal fin set far back, and the profile a line starting from the dorsal fin till the mouth. The mouth of Archer Fish is protractible, and the lower jaw sticks out. Their sizes are usually small, at about five to ten centimetres but they are able to reach about forty centimetres. These fishes are very much suitable for aquaria. These fishes are very much accurate in their shooting water. The adult Archer Fish is almost able to hit the target accurately in the first shot. Their targets are insects which include spiders, grasshoppers and butterflies sitting on a branch of a tree hanging above the surface of water. They hit the target much accurately only because of their good eyesight, and also possess the potential to overcome the light refraction while setting the aim for their prey. Younger Archer fishes however start to shoot their prey when they become about 2.5 centimetres in length, and are inaccurate in the beginning and learn to shoot accurately from experience. Archer fish choose to jump out of the water and seize the insect with the help of their mouth if it is within their reach. |