SCIENCE HOLIC AND PHOBIC on Instagram: "• The leptocephalus is the larval stage of eels, appearing shortly after hatching. 🐠 • Its body is almost completely transparent, allowing internal organs and structures to be visible. 🔍 • This transparency helps the larva avoid predators in the open ocean by blending into the water. 🌊 • Despite its delicate appearance, it is alive, growing, and actively feeding on plankton and marine detritus. 🦐 • Leptocephalus larvae have flat, ribbon-like bodies, wh

WHY & HOW | FACTS | NEWS on Instagram: "The leptocephalus is the clear, ribbon-like larval form of eels and certain other fish such as tarpons and bonefish. For eels, including the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and American eel (Anguilla rostrata), this stage begins right after hatching and can last anywhere from several months to over a year. Leptocephali are flat, leaf-shaped, and nearly invisible in the water because of their transparency. They drift vast distances on ocean currents before

Explaining The Ocean on Instagram: "Meet the leptocephalus — the transparent, leaf-shaped larval stage of eels. Instead of muscles or bones, its body is made almost entirely of a jellylike substance, making it nearly invisible in the open ocean. This allows it to drift safely with currents, feeding on dissolved organic matter until it transforms into a glass eel — the next step on its mysterious journey. A life that begins in transparency, drifts with the tides, and ends up crossing entire ocean