The purpose of returning to the exact place of their birth is that it offers salmon a higher chance of successful reproduction because it is a familiar area proven to be perfect for spawning. Where in the ocean do salmon live?
Salmon have a natural instinct to return to the place they were born to lay their eggs ( to spawn ). This is a safe place to, usually a quiet area of a river, where young salmon upstream can grow. The adult salmon stop feeding when they first reach fresh water, so they gradually become weaker and weaker.
How do salmon lay eggs in the river?
Female salmon lay eggs in riverbed depressions that they create using their tails ; the male comes along behind her and fertilizes the eggs. After fertilization, the female covers the depression. Females may make up to seven depressions, and they wait for males to fertilize each before moving on to the next depression.
How many eggs does a salmon lay?
Salmon have external fertilization. Orange salmon eggs (left) and white salmon milt (right). (GA images) Female salmon release orange eggs. She may lay two to ten thousand eggs.
One of the next things we asked ourselves was how do salmon know where to spawn?
But between September and November every year, a salmon’s instinct to spawn (that means lay eggs) kicks in. This instinct causes them to swim all the back to the river they were born — known as a “spawning ground” — to lay their eggs. How do they know where to go ?
Why do salmon swim back to the river they were born?
This instinct causes them to swim all the back to the river they were born — known as a “spawning ground” — to lay their eggs. How do they know where to go? Salmon can live for up to seven years so it’s quite remarkable that after all that time, they can find the exact place they were born.
What is the life cycle of a salmon?
The life cycle of a salmon begins in a freshwater stream or river that dumps into the ocean. There are several hypotheses on how salmon are able to do this.