Inside the egg
Look at the three stages in the picture. Inside the egg, the little fish uses a store of food called yolk. It needs oxygen too. When the egg opens, a tiny fish called a larva comes out.
The first meal
The larva may still have a little yolk sac under its belly. As the store shrinks, it needs to catch prey small enough to fit in its mouth.
Finding shelter
A young reef fish can hide between coral branches. Look at the flatfish too. One eye shifts to the other side as it grows. The fish can then rest on the seabed with both eyes facing up.
