Salmon

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/salmon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the physiological adaptation?Exceptional osmoregulatory ability allowing transition between freshwater and saltwater environments
2. What is a salmon and why do they travel between rivers and the ocean?Salmon are fish that hatch in rivers, grow in freshwater, then move to the ocean to eat and grow. After gaining strength, they return to their birth river to lay eggs.
3. How do salmon know which river to return to after living in the ocean?They use their sense of smell to detect the unique chemical scent of their home river, and also use stars and the Earth's magnetic field to help guide them.

Anadromous: A life cycle characterized by migration from saltwater to freshwater to reproduce.
Olfactory Imprinting: The process by which young salmon learn and remember the unique scent of their natal stream.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.
Redd: A nest dug by female salmon in gravel beds for depositing eggs.