More Than a Delicious Dinner
Welcome, everybody. May we interest you in some salmon? Wait a second—put down the fork! We meant interesting facts about salmon, ones that steer clear of our dinner plates and plop us right alongside them in the river. This species is far more than tasty sashimi; salmon have fascinating lives, and we’re here to tell you all about them.
Denley Photography on Unsplash
1. They’re Anadromous
It’s not every day you find fish that live in both salt and freshwater bodies, but salmon thrive on the shift. They’re originally born in freshwater, where they spend anywhere from a few months to several years before migrating to the ocean. Salmon are among the only kinds of fish to handle the switch!
2. They Have a Great Sense of Smell
You wouldn’t think fish have a great sense of smell, would you? Weirdly enough, salmon have incredible abilities; they can sniff out minute changes in the water, which helps locate prey, and can find their way back home through their sense of smell. They can actually locate which stream they were born in!
3. They Have Powerful Jumps
Sometimes, salmon jump out of the water and right into a bear’s mouth. Other times, they display their Olympian moves to intrigued passersby. Most species can reach a modest four feet, but others have been recorded to leap 15 feet!
4. They Change Color
What’s the first color that comes to mind when you think about salmon? Probably pink, right? Though you’re technically right, some salmon actually change color up to three times in their lives. They can go from spotted to red to silvery scales in adulthood!
5. They Travel Several Miles a Day
You might like the odd walk after work, but no one travels more than salmon. Most species swim anywhere between 15 to 50 miles every day, with some species reaching speeds of up to 60 miles. Though they can handle short sprints, they prefer to travel along the current in steady streams to preserve their energy.
