The pitiful beetle is the target of another marksman that stalks the tropics of Asia and Australia.
The Archerfish.
One of the few aquatic predators that can hunt prey outside its element.
On average, it grows more than six inches long-but it can hit a target over five feet away...from tiny bugs to small lizards.
It forms a tube with its tongue, then squeezes its gill covers to fire.
A jet of water shoots out along the roof of its mouth.
By positioning itself directly under its prey, it minimizes the effect of refraction of the water.
Anyone who has ever tried to spear a fish knows the surface refracts your aim.
But not the Archerfish's aim.
It can even gauge the weight of the target, to calculate how much water to fire.
A shot typically packs ten times the force a bug uses to hold on.
