San Antonio Zoo Trains Their Archer Fish To Paint and It's So Cool to Watch
Have you ever seen an elephant painting? Elephants, pigs, dolphins, and all manner of primates have been trained to paint in zoos, shows, and other preserves, and there are many debates about whether the activity is actually artistic expression on the part of the animals or if they are just performing a trick like any other.
When it comes to these archer fish at the San Antonio Zoo, though, the value of the art begs the question. The method of making it is what makes these paintings so cool.
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In this video, a zookeeper shows how they are training their archer fish to paint. First, the zookeeper prepares a canvas with several daubs of water-soluble paint on them. Then, they hold the canvas up above the tank, and dangle an insect in front of it.
Related: Incredibly Rare Fish Found Only in Australia Is a Sight to Behold
The archer fish just naturally do their thing.
How Archer Fish Hunt
Archer fish are a small brackish water-loving fish that is common in the rivers and estuaries of Southeast Asia and even Australia. They are only four inches long, and are prized for their unique hunting method.
Archer fish are so named because of their ability to shoot streams of water at insects above the surface in order to bring them down. Basically, they have built in super-soakers and use it to hunt their prey. It’s a unique adaptation, and one that is often put to use as part of a “shooting party” in which a whole school of fish will fire at an insect sitting on vegetation above the water, then rush to bring it down.
They also hunt by leaping out of the water and pouncing on their prey. Juvenile archer fish usually start hunting in this manner when they are only an inch long, and by the time they are fully grown they can shoot streams of water up to five feet away.
Due to this behavior, they don’t necessarily make good home aquarium pets, although some people do keep them, and they are often found in large public aquariums where they can show off their talents.
Archer Fish Paintings
When the archer fish in this tank shoot their stream of water at their cricket target, it splashes against the canvas, splattering the water everywhere. The result is a dreamy abstract painting.
According to the zookeepers, though archer fish are known to hunt in packs, it’s usually the same fish who keeps shooting water at the crickets whenever they hold up their canvases.
Just call him Piscasso.
No word yet from the zoo if they plan to sell these masterworks, though from the enthusiastic comments on this video, it seems as if it would be an excellent fundraising opportunity.
“Mic-gill-angelo... Da-fin-chi,” quips one person in comments.
“Better artist than me,” admits another.
And lots of fans just want to know when they can get their own hands on the art.
“How do I get one?” asks one animal art fan. “I need it for my collection of animal paintings.”
Who knows, maybe with all this positive response, the zoo will find a market for the paintings of their extraordinary fish.
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