Tarpons

Tarpons do not mature sexually until they are six or seven years old. A large female tarpon weighing about 140 lb (64 kg) may contain over 12 million eggs. Tarpon spawning sites have not been located, and fresh tarpon eggs have not been seen. However, the females are thought to lay their eggs in shallow seas, or on the ocean floor, starting at the end of June and continuing throughout July and August.

Tarpon larvae (leptocephali) are transparent and shaped like leaves or ribbons, closely resembling eel larvae. Other than having a forked caudal fin, the larvae bear little resemblance to adult tarpons. The larvae of tarpons can be differentiated from eel larvae in that the leptocephali of eels have a rounded tail. Ocean currents carry the tarpon larvae close to shore, to shallow habitats such as marshes, swamps, estuaries, and ponds, where they begin their metamorphosis into young tarpons. They eat smaller fish, crustaceans, and insects.

When tarpons grow large enough to survive without the protection of these shallow-water habitats, they move out of the lagoons into the open sea. Adult tarpons eat fish and crustaceans; one of their favorite foods is the grunion-like silverside. Tarpons do not form schools, but they are often found together in bays and canals, since these are the areas where they primarily feed, usually at night. Additionally, groups of tarpons have been seen swimming into schools of small fish and attacking them in unison. The natural enemies of tarpons are sharks and dolphins, and young tarpons have been found in the stomachs of many other species of fish.