Salmo: Malsamoj inter versioj

 

==Life History==

[[Image:Salmonlarvakils.jpg|thumb||Salmon fry hatching - the larva has grown around the remains of the yolk - visible are the [[Artery|arteries]] spinning around the yolk and little oildrops, also the gut, the spine, the main caudal blood vessel, the bladder and the arcs of the gills]]

The female salmon excavates a shallow depression, called a ''redd'', in the gravel of the streambed wherein she lays her [[roe|eggs]]. The eggs usually range from orange to red in color. One or more males will approach the female as she deposits the eggs, fertilizing them. The female then covers the eggs by disturbing the gravel at the upstream edge of the depression. The eggs will hatch into ''alevin'' or ''sac fry''. The fry quickly develop into ''parr'' with camouflaging vertical stripes. The parr stay for one to three years in their natal stream before becoming ''smolts'' which are distinguished by their bright silvery colour with scales that are easily rubbed off. The smolt body chemistry changes, allowing them to live in salt water. Smolts spend a portion of their out-migration time in brackish water, where their body chemistry becomes accustomed to [[osmoregulation]] in the ocean.