{"id":2986,"date":"2021-07-18T21:56:14","date_gmt":"2021-07-18T19:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rodmaps.com\/?p=2986"},"modified":"2024-12-24T14:40:45","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T13:40:45","slug":"tarpon-fish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rodmaps.com\/en\/tarpon-fish\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarpon: 5 things to know about this fish"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n
\n 4.8\/5 - (5 votes) <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\"Tarpon:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Passionate about tarpon for years, we wanted to share with you 5 noteworthy and little-known facts about this mythical fish.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarpon larvae look like worms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adult tarpon spawn offshore: 80-100 miles in the Gulf of Mexico and 5-10 miles in the Atlantic Ocean. Once the eggs have been fertilised and hatched, the tarpon begins its larval stage. It then resembles a transparent flatworm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tarpon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This particular larva, similar to eels, bonefish, and ladyfish, is known as the leptocephalus. Although leptocephali have the ability to swim, they mainly drift with currents to return to the coasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies show that tarpon larvae enter the fishways at night and make their way to the edge of the estuary to find calm pools where they metamorphose into juveniles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tarpon is a fish that can breathe in the open air<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tarpon have the unique ability to take oxygen from above the surface rather than relying on dissolved oxygen in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tarpon has a modified swim bladder with rows of vascularised (i.e. spongy) tissue that can act as an additional set of gills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Swallowing air is a major advantage for young tarpon, which seem to prefer habitats with low dissolved oxygen content that exclude other fish that could be in competition with them or even predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juvenile tarpon eat anything and everything<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Juvenile tarpon are primarily opportunistic feeders. Studies show that the only limiting factor for the tarpon is the size of its mouth. As a result, the larger the tarpon grows, the more prey it is able to eat, regardless of species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Juvenile<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The tarpon thus feeds mainly on fish and copepods. But it also feeds on ants, crabs, shrimps and even fly larvae. <\/p>\n\n\n\n