The Silver mullet is a fish whose scientific characteristics are; bluish-gray coloration on the back, a silver hue on the side, and a white belly. This fish has two dorsal fins; the first dorsal fin has five sharp spines, and the second dorsal fin has eight soft rays.
The small scales of the Silver mullet extend towards the dorsal and anal fin. Its pectoral fin has spots at the base, and the second anal fin is behind the anal one.
The body is vast, and so is the head, which is dorsally flattened between the eyes. The biology of a silver mullet consists of up to three rows of flattened teeth, with an outer row of inwardly curved teeth behind the thick upper lips.
Top 5 Silver Mullet Facts to Remember
The silver mullet lacks a lateral line but possesses gill rakers and an unusually long alimentary canal. The juveniles have a patch of yellow or gold tinge anterior to the operculum.
Reading to grasp what facts you need to remember about a Silver mullet fish.
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The Stomach of a Silver Mullet Is Gizzard–Like
Mullets are diurnal feeders, consuming mainly zooplankton, dead plant matter, and detritus. A silver mullet fish has a gizzard-like stomach and a long gastrointestinal tract, which helps it grind food like algae and detritus.
The White mullet is a significant link in the ecosystem, ensuring energy flow within the estuarine environment. They prefer dwelling and feeding within 20 meters beneath the water surface and often inhabit bays and lagoons. Their region of choice is the muddy areas, especially places with underwater flora like coral reefs.
They feed by sucking up the top sediments, and removing algae. When feeding, the Silver mullet also picks up some sediment, which is food in the gizzard-like portion of the stomach.
These littoral feeders play a vital role in the ecosystem by serving as prey for their predators. Predators of this fish include spotted seatrout, humans, sharks, and pelicans. The juveniles are omnivores, primarily feeding on planktons and micro-crustaceans.
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Silver Mullets Are Used As Bait
Silver mullets are primarily used as bait despite their delicacy as food to humans. Anglers use them as bait to catch some species of crabs.
In Florida, when the sizable striped mullet are in shortage, the silver mullet are used as food.
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Silver Mullet Has External Fertilization
The species reproduces via external reproduction. The male and female release their gametes to be fertilized further away from the coast and near the open ocean. Eggs are hatched into larvae around 40 hours after spawning. The hatched eggs lack mouths and fins but swiftly develop into juveniles.
Reproduction varies depending on the native habitats. For instance, White mullets in the Mexican Gulf will breed from February to May. Those in Brazil will spawn from November to January.
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Silver Mullet Are Social Fish
The species tend to form large schools of about 100 and dwell mainly in shallow waters. The young juveniles congregate in estuarine areas due to the abundance of food they find there and also to escape predators.
Schooling serves to increase the sensitivity of each fish in the presence of predators by each fish’s observation of the environment. The same principle is applied to locate food. At night, most White mullets will leave the school and forage freely.
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White Mullets Are Viable Biomonitor species
Silver mullets are non-poisonous, healthy fish that serve as a food commodity in some coastal states. They also serve as baits. The species is known to have polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrated in their liver and gallbladder after environmental exposure.
The concentration of these pollutants in the liver strongly correlates with environmental levels. For this reason, Silver mullets are viable biomonitor species
Conclusion
Silver mullet is a fish born with no mouth and fin. The jaws become well-defined, and fins bud as the larva turns into a juvenile. They are catadromous species that spawn in salt water and spend most of their time in freshwater.