Post on 31-Mar-2015
Kokanee Salmon Kokanee Salmon
from Egg to Adultfrom Egg to Adult
When salmon are three to four years old they are ready to spawn.
•What does the word “spawn” mean?
to swim upstreamto lay eggs to jump high
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Salmon return to the place where they hatched.
• The trip is difficult because the salmon must swim against the current and they often have to jump over falls and log jams.
• How do salmon find where they hatched? They use their sense
of smell. They are really smart. They have a leader fish.
Salmon return to the place where they hatched.
• The trip is difficult because the salmon must swim against the current and they often have to jump over falls and log jams.
• How do salmon find where they hatched? They use their sense
of smell. They are really smart. They have a leader fish.
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When the salmon are ready to spawn their bodies turn bright red and their heads stay green.
•The males grow a hooked snout, a humped back, and sharp teeth.
•What are the teeth used for?
Eating Smiling Defense against other male salmon
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The female salmon builds a special spot for her eggs.
• She uses her strong tail to dig down into the
gravel.
• She will lay her eggs in several spots in the same area and then cover them up again with gravel.
• The salmon’s spot to lay eggs is called a …
nest
redd
bed
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A male salmon has an important job as well.
• A female chooses the male fish and he battles with the other male fish to be the father.
• The eggs must be fertilized by the male salmon after they have been laid by the female.
• What does the male use to fertilize the eggs?
oxygen
scales
milt
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The eggs hatch in late March or early April.
• The hatchlings are called an “alevin”.
What do the alevins need to stay alive?
plankton
worms
their yolk sac
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Out of 100 eggs, only five to ten will survive to the next stage in the life cycle.
• After one to two months the yolk sac has been used up.
• What is this stage called?fryadultcub
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The fry come out at night and start their migration to Okanagan Lake.
• The fry have to keep close to the stream bank to avoid predators.
• The predators are…dolphins, whales, and crabducks, big fish, and birdssnakes, snails, and spiders
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These fish mature over the next two (2) to five (5) years.
• When they have reached adult size, they prepare to spawn.
• What do we call the change from an egg, to an alevin, to a fry, to an adult, to a spawning adult?
salmon run
plankton
life cycle
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The word “spawn” means…The word “spawn” means…
To lay eggs.
The female may lay up to 1600 eggs. Many of these eggs will be eaten by predators.
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Salmon find where they hatched because…Salmon find where they hatched because…
they have a very good sense of smell to lead them back.
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Male Salmon use their teeth…Male Salmon use their teeth…
to defend themselves against other males.
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The place where the female lays her eggs is called …The place where the female lays her eggs is called …
a redd.
To dig a redd, a female turns on her side and flips her tail back and forth to move the gravel.
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The male kokanee fertilizes the eggs with …The male kokanee fertilizes the eggs with …
milt.
Eggs and milt come into contact in the water as they drop to the bottom of the redd.
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The alevins need…The alevins need…
their yolk sac to stay alive.
The yolk sac is a food source the alevin uses to grow into a fry.
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This stage is called…This stage is called…
the fry stage.
Between late March and early May, the fry swim out of the gravel and straight downstream to the lake.
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The frys’ predators are…The frys’ predators are…
ducks, big fish, and birds.
Fry try to stay away from predators by hiding around logs, bolders, and plants
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The change from an egg to an adult is called…The change from an egg to an adult is called…
a life cycle.
A life cycle tells how living things grow, then die, and new livings things replace them.
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