Archerfish knock insects off leaves by firing a carefully aimed jet from below the waterline. 1
The jet grows a heavy, fast-moving head as water catches up with it, delivering about 200 mN of impact force — at least five times the peak attachment force reported for beetles. 1 A separate experiment found that the fish gradually corrected its aim when airflow bent the jet, consistent with motor adaptation. 2
The water gun is real. The fish's exact sensory calculation is still an inference from the shooting experiments, not a tiny built-in laser sight.
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