catadromous fish
Quick Summary
Catadromous fish spend most of their lives in freshwater environments before migrating to saltwater to reproduce. A prime example is the eel of the genus Anguilla. These eels, such as the European and North American varieties, migrate to the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic to spawn. Their transparent, leaf-like larvae, called leptocephali, are carried by currents to continental shelves. After transforming into elvers and then glass eels, they migrate upstream into freshwater streams. They mature into yellow eels, living for 10-15 years before becoming silver eels, migrating back to the sea to spawn and then die.1
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migrationCatadromous fishCatadromous fish spend most of their lives in fresh water, then migrate to the sea to breed. This type is exemplified by eels of the genus Anguilla, numbering 16 species, the best-known of which are the North American eel (A. rostrata) and the…
Read MoreCatadromous fish spend most of their lives in fresh water, then migrate to the sea to breed. This type is exemplified by eels of the genus Anguilla, numbering 16 species, the best-known of which are the North American eel (A. rostrata) and the…
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marine ecosystemMigrations of marine organisms…of the Sargasso Sea (catadromous migrations), where they die. Eel larvae, called leptocephalus larvae, drift back to Europe in the Gulf Stream.
Read More…of the Sargasso Sea (catadromous migrations), where they die. Eel larvae, called leptocephalus larvae, drift back to Europe in the Gulf Stream.
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