News Animals

Archerfish mouth is the secret of precision spit

Shooting gobs of water at targets requires quick changes and fine control

archerfish spitting

SPIT POWER  An archerfish can weaponize water into a high-impact blob thanks to subtle variations in its mouth opening. 

Ingo Rischawy (Schuster lab, University of Bayreuth)

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

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When archerfish hunt by precision spitting water into the air, they do a lot more with their mouths than put their lips together and blow.