大象传媒

In the Amazon, splash tetras stage a leaping contest. They jump out of the water to lay their eggs on leaves.

Leaping requires perfect posture, and the fish aligns itself to grip the leaf by surface tension as it lands.

The males leap first to inspect suitable sites, favouring protected leaves with a surface that鈥檚 easy to stick to. A male swims underneath his chosen leaf until a female arrives. The pair line up underneath the leaf and perform the ultimate act of synchronised swimming.

As a cue the female nudges the male with her head, then a flick of their tails propels them in perfect unison. They are so synchronised that to the human eye they appear as one. The eggs are laid and are attached to the leaf, but the males' work has only just begun. He must keep them wet until they hatch, using his tail to splash water over the leaf.