The fascinating world of FISH LARVAE
Did you know that most fish have a larval phase after hatching from the egg, just like frogs have a tadpole phase? The metamorphosis (changes) that fish undergo during the process of becoming an adult fish is far less dramatic than the metamorphosis we see in insects. Butterflies for instance undergo a caterpillar stage that looks nothing like the final product – the butterfly. Fish larvae, however, are still quite different from the juveniles they will turn into. They are see-through, have no scales and most of their internal organs and sensory abilities, even their ability to swim, are formed and developed during the larval phase.
Most fish come from larvae. This is called indirect fish development. Direct fish development refers to giving birth to live young. In fish, giving birth to live young is rare compared to indirect development that relies on the presence of a larval phase.
Floating eggs
Adult fish spawn in the ocean, eggs are fertilised externally and an embryo develops inside the egg while it floats around in the plankton, along with all its future predators and prey. Plankton refers to the microscopic plants and animals floating in the water at the mercy of ocean currents for movement. This sounds like
