Between April and August, large schools of tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) move offshore to spawn. One female may release between 4 and 20 million eggs per season. Tarpon have 4 major life cycle stages – larva (leptocephalus), juvenile, sub-adult, and adult.
In the larval stage, eggs hatch into slender transparent larvae that drift in the open ocean for a month. Larvae settle inshore, rapidly shorten and then grow again as they transform into a miniature version of adults. The juvenile stage is from 3 months to 2 years, living in shallow, stagnant mangrove marshes. Juvenile tarpon feed on shrimps, aquatic insects, ampipods, small fish, and crustaceans. The sub-adult stage is from 1 to 11 years and the tarpon migrate regionally through estuaries and coastal rivers. Adults travel between rivers, reefs and the open ocean, growing slowly and not reaching sexual maturity until between 7 and 13 years. Adults can reach a weight of 280 lbs, can grow up to 80″ in length, and can live as long as 55 years.
The young fish can live in fresh and brackish water and can tolerate oxygen-poor environments due to a modified air bladder that allows them to inhale atmospheric oxygen.
One destination for these young fish is the Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve.
