Interesting Adaptations of the Trout
![Picture](/uploads/5/1/4/2/51425389/1434118729.png)
Teeth and stomach:
Despite having teeth, trout tend to engulf their prey rather than use their teeth to actively grab onto them. To catch food, the trout expands its gills which allows it to suck its prey into its mouth. The actual purpose of the teeth of the trout, both their normal ones and the ones on their tongue known as hyoid teeth, is to rotate fish, such as crayfish, that have spikes that could choke the trout and swallow them tail first.
Although the digestive system of the trout is somewhat unspecialised and is made up of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and intestines, it does have particular feature of being able to stretch its stomach to digest large prey, allowing the trout to digest as much as possible.
Despite having teeth, trout tend to engulf their prey rather than use their teeth to actively grab onto them. To catch food, the trout expands its gills which allows it to suck its prey into its mouth. The actual purpose of the teeth of the trout, both their normal ones and the ones on their tongue known as hyoid teeth, is to rotate fish, such as crayfish, that have spikes that could choke the trout and swallow them tail first.
Although the digestive system of the trout is somewhat unspecialised and is made up of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and intestines, it does have particular feature of being able to stretch its stomach to digest large prey, allowing the trout to digest as much as possible.
Nostrils:
While the nostrils of many fish are used to pick up the scent of their prey which might be particularly far away, the function of nostrils are even more important in the trout. Due to magnetite in certain sensory cells in the nostrils of the trout, causing the nostrils to essentially be magnetic, the trout can navigate itself according to the Earth’s magnetic fields.
While the nostrils of many fish are used to pick up the scent of their prey which might be particularly far away, the function of nostrils are even more important in the trout. Due to magnetite in certain sensory cells in the nostrils of the trout, causing the nostrils to essentially be magnetic, the trout can navigate itself according to the Earth’s magnetic fields.
![Picture](/uploads/5/1/4/2/51425389/2180448.jpg?465)
Scales:
One of the main adaptations of the trout that make it suited to their environment and works as both a defence mechanism and predator adaptation is countershading, which is a form of camouflage. With this adaptation, the top of the fish becomes far darker so as to make it appear to be the same colour of the water that is surrounding it. This also occurs in terms of the fish being seen from below as the underside of the trout is almost white to make it resemble light from the surface of the water, thus making predators of the trout which are viewing it from above or below to think that there is nothing there.
INTERESTING FACT:
Much like how trees have rings in their trunk which show how old they are, the scales of a trout also have growth rings that show both the age of the trout and periods when the trout grew either quicker or slower due to the different seasons. However, unlike trees whose rings signify a year, the sections of rings as a whole signify either a winter or summer period.
In the picture, the red dots mark out where growth has been slowest due to the trout not having as much food in the winter, resulting in the densely packed growth rings. The growth rings from suffer in comparison are far further apart and show more significant growth.
One of the main adaptations of the trout that make it suited to their environment and works as both a defence mechanism and predator adaptation is countershading, which is a form of camouflage. With this adaptation, the top of the fish becomes far darker so as to make it appear to be the same colour of the water that is surrounding it. This also occurs in terms of the fish being seen from below as the underside of the trout is almost white to make it resemble light from the surface of the water, thus making predators of the trout which are viewing it from above or below to think that there is nothing there.
INTERESTING FACT:
Much like how trees have rings in their trunk which show how old they are, the scales of a trout also have growth rings that show both the age of the trout and periods when the trout grew either quicker or slower due to the different seasons. However, unlike trees whose rings signify a year, the sections of rings as a whole signify either a winter or summer period.
In the picture, the red dots mark out where growth has been slowest due to the trout not having as much food in the winter, resulting in the densely packed growth rings. The growth rings from suffer in comparison are far further apart and show more significant growth.