Archerfish

Baby Banded archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix) love the brackish waters where Miguel’s Diving docks its boat. Especially at high tide, these pale, banded fish are evident around the pilings. Called “Spitting fish” locally (ikan ludah-ludah), these fish have the unique ability to squirt water to hit insects above the water. Adult archerfish are able to hit something at a distance of two meters or more. When the bug falls into the water, it is quickly gobbled up. These archers make water bullets by pulling in their gill flaps and squirting water out their mouths. In order to hit their target, these fish must compensate for the angle of refraction of light, quite a feat in itself. This particular species grows to 30 cm in length. Plentiful in the mangrove forests of the Togian Islands, locals use little lizards (cicak) as bait, proving that these archers eat more than bugs.