archerfish

noun

ar·cher·fish ˈär-chər-ˌfish

: any of several small chiefly Asian bony fishes (genus Toxotes and especially T. ejaculator of the family Toxotidae) that catch insects by stunning them with water ejected from their mouths

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Still, the findings seem to indicate that an archerfish might recognize the person who incessantly taps on its aquarium wall. —

Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 7 June 2016 The Shedd Aquarium houses a remarkable creature called an archerfish that spits water 3 feet into the air to knock insects off trees into the water for dinner. —

Sheryl Devore, chicagotribune.com, 10 Jan. 2022 The scientists concluded that archerfish can assume the viewpoint of another archerfish to learn a difficult skill from a distance. —

Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, 1 May 2017 An archerfish can squirt water in a single shot or in a machine gun–like fusillade. —

Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, 1 May 2017 Using water as a projectile is only one of many foraging options for the archerfish. —

Jonathan Balcombe, Scientific American, 1 May 2017 Crazy archerfish that spray bugs off leaves to eat. —

Erica Boniface, The Know, 4 Jan. 2017 Complex, context-dependent decision strategies of archerfish, Toxotes chatareus. —

Mary Bates, WIRED, 19 Nov. 2013 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'archerfish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.