Morphological Changes in Salmon

The spawning phase of a salmon's life causes many changes to their bodies, particularly to their appearance. The hormones of the salmon change as they enter the freshwater rivers and streams, which is what causes physical alterations in the fish. The physical changes vary between species and the amount of time the fish are in fresh water.

This is what an adult salmon looks like before it undergoes the physical changes:

Adult salmon prior to morphological changes.

To read discriptions of the changes that happen to salmon when they enter fresh water, hover your mouse over the coloured area of the fish.

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