Adults are hermaphrodites that live in the liver of herbivorous mammals. Eggs pass down the bile duct, into the intestine, and are shed in the feces. After a brief period of development, eggs that were deposited in water hatch and the miracidium seeks out a snail to penetrate. Typical host snails are those that frequent the margins of water bodies. Within the snail the parasite passes through mother sporocyst, mother redia and daughter redia stages. Cercariae emerge from the daughter rediae and leave the snail. They attach to aquatic vegetation, secrete a glassy cyst wall and become a metacercaria. The metacercariae can resist some drying. When the vegetation is eaten, the metacercariae excyst in and penetrate the gut through to the body cavity. The young parasites crawl along the internal organs until they contact the liver. Then they penetrate, and begin feeding on liver tissue and growing . After a few months, they mature and mate.