Safari Ltd Salmon Incredible Creatures

History: Though some species remain in freshwater their entire lives, most species of salmon travel to the ocean as young fish and spend much of their life in the sea. When they mature, they begin a long and dangerous journey back to the waters where they were born, often swimming upstream against heavy currents and leaping acrobatically up rapids to reach their destination. Many salmon don’t survive the journey, falling prey to bears or simply exhausting themselves to death. Those that do reach their home waters will get to mate. Most salmon species will die shortly after mating occurs. Many salmon species undergo a remarkable physical transformation during the spawning period. While salmon in the ocean often appear silver, blue or dull green in color, those on the way to the spawning grounds will often display bright reds and other vibrant color patterns, and males will grow a pronounced hump. Their jaws become longer and more hooked (known as a “kype”), with sharp teeth to help them do battle with other rival males.