| type | Status | Habitat |
 |
 |
 |
|
FISHES |
STABLE |
ALL CONTINENT |
 They can be found in India, New Guinea, Australia, the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. |
 In the wild they feed on insects and spiders that they shoot down onto the surface by spitting water at them, and they also feed on small fish and crustaceans. |
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While the banded archer fish (or archerfish) may look like an ordinary fish, the way they capture prey will stop you in your tracks. This carnivorous fish has a powerful "super soaker" built in. The fish float near the surface of the brackish water they prefer, awaiting spiders and insects. Once a tasty bug is directly above them, they shoot a powerful stream of water to knock the insect into the water! If at first they don't succeed, this fish can shoot up to seven streams in one mouthful of water.
Archer fish are primarily carnivores. They feast on insects, spiders, smaller fish, and crustaceans. These fish mainly hunt on the surface for food, which can make it tricky to feed them in managed care. Once the food falls under the surface, archer fish tend to leave it alone. At the Zoo, the archer fish feast on crickets and mealworms.
Archer fish can be found in estuaries with brackish water around mangroves. (Brackish water is the combination of both salt and freshwater.) They often venture into lakes and rivers in search of food. These fish migrate to saltwater and freshwater areas; however, they do not do so for breeding like most other fish. Archer fish are widespread geographically, ranging from East Africa, through the coastal waters surrounding Asia, all the way to Australia.