Common Siluro



This species diverged from its ancestor, and became a better hunter because of its better smell and its better movement. When it is born, the S. Siluro is around 2 cm in size and it filters silt through filters in its mouth that are lost when it becomes an adult. It looks for nutrients in the silt, but mainly it eats phosphorus and calcium. These elements come to form thick bony plates that are used to store Ca and P, because they are used for muscle movement. This means that it has a reserve of what it needs to move, so it can move faster and for longer periods of time, resulting in it being more efficient and so more succesful than its ancestor. It has a better sense of smell, with more nerves concentrated on the olfactory part of its gills, and so it can locate and sense prey much better. In its adult stage it scavenges and hunts for food. When a male or female is ready for mating, it releases a strong smell to be smelled by other males or females, which follow the smell. Once they mate, the female lays 10-30 eggs near rich silt, and leaves to continue its life