The Archer Fish

Job 12:7-8
“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.”

The yellow-and-black-striped archer fish shops among the insects that land on branches overhanging his pond in the peaceful waters of the East Indies. Sometimes he will wait under a branch until something that would make a good lunch lands on it.

When the archer fish finds a tasty-looking insect, he shoots an accurately aimed stream of water at his prey, knocking the insect into the water. Before the insect has a chance to recover, the archer fish has eaten him and is looking for dessert.

The archer fish has a deep groove in his mouth. When he places his tongue against this groove, he ends up with a blow tube that is about 1/16-inch in diameter. Compressing his gills forces pressurized water through the blow pipe. The rounded tip of the archer fish’s tongue acts as a valve so the fish can shoot a few small bursts or one long stream of water at his prey. The archer fish seldom misses if his prey is within four feet.

This simple but elegant arrangement is testimony to a wise and skillful Creator. Neither mindless chance evolution nor any fish could be smart enough to design this system. Nor could any fish redesign his normal mouth tissues into this unique tool. Here we see that our Creator even cares about providing the needs of a fish. We know that He cares even more about our lives! In fact, He has said so!

Prayer:
Father, You invite me to call you Father because You care for all that You have made. You proved Your love for me when You sent Your only Son to take my punishment for sin. Let me never get over my gratitude. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Author: Paul A. Bartz

Notes:
Coleman, William L. 1979. Listen to the Animals. Minneapolis: Bethany House. pp. 36-37.