![]() ![]() In the Leptocephali phase, the eggs float to the surface hatch into small, transparent larvae that are shaped like willow leaves. Silver eels – become male or female silver eels and return to sea to spawn.Yellow eels – sexually immature adults, yellow-green to olive-brown color.Elvers – develop pigmentation, migrate to brackish waters.Glass eels – larvae stage, develop fins and features after reaching the coast.Leptocephali – eggs float to the surface and drift with the ocean current. ![]() The life cycle of an eel can be summed up in five phases: Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the life cycle of the American eel begins and ends in the Sargasso Sea, which is between the Azores and the West Indies making all American eels very similar genetically. The life cycle of the American eel is essentially like a circle, it starts in one place and no matter where it goes it ultimately ends up back at its place of origin only to start over from the same place and continue on with its cycle.Īccording to the U.S. The most important thing to keep in mind about the lifecycle of an American eel is that these eels are born in the Sargasso Sea, and after migrating to freshwaters where they live most of their life, they return to the Sargasso Sea towards the end of their life to spawn more eel and eventually die in that place. Yet, somehow, when the time is right, they know exactly what to do and where to go to begin the cycle all over again. What’s fascinating about the American eel is that it begins its life in one place and migrates far, far away from where it spends most of its life, about 40 years of life. For more information, see disclosure here. Also, try here for a direct link to an excellent picture of leptocephali devolopment from the same article.Disclosure: At BonfireBob, we recommend products based on unbiased research, however, is reader-supported and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases if you shop through the links on this page. As you can tell, this is a complex, and seemingly long life cycle for a fish!Ĭlick here for a great source of information on the whole Anguilla genus, including great life cycle information. They live as yellow eels for 5-20 years before maturing into silver eels which return to the ocean to spawn. Over the next two years, they mature into yellow eel adults. Once they reach freshwater, they develop into elvers, which are smaller versions of the adult form. Sometime during the journey, they transform into glass eels, which are more elongated and eel like, but still transparent. This process takes from 1 to 5 years before the eels reach freshwater. The eggs hatch into leptocephali, paper thin transparent larva, and are carried by the Kuroshio current. The eggs are laid, and the mature eels die. For now, we only know that the location maximizes the efficiency of entry into the Kuroshio current, a powerful ocean current that leads them directly into the coastal areas they are normally found. This location was only recently revealed, and the extent of its significance is not yet know. This location is nearby an area known as the Suruga Seamount, located East of Guam. The Japanese eel has a very specific spawning point, where every member of the species on the planet goes to spawn. Once the eel reaches the ocean, its task is not yet complete.
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