Trout fact file
Trout are fascinating creatures with complex needs. To help you understand more about trout and why they need so much care and attention, we’ve put together an interesting fact file for you:
- Atlantic salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout are all members of the Salmonidae family. But rainbow trout and brown trout are actually not closely related enough to even be considered the same species! They have differences in appearance, behaviour, and habitat preferences.
- Despite not being truly rainbow as their name suggests, rainbow trout have beautiful colouring with silvery-blue bodies, a distinctive red or pink stripe along their sides, and small black spots across their bodies and fins.
- Rainbow trout colours and patterns vary based on the environment, the age of the fish and spawning conditions.
- While other fish groups might be called a ‘school’ or ‘shoal’, the most common collective noun for a group of rainbow trout is a ‘hover’.
- Trout scales have growth rings, as new hard tissue is added around the edges as they grow. These can tell you their age, just like with trees.
- A Rainbow trout has nine fins, two pectoral fins, two pelvic fins, anal fin, dorsal fin, adipose fin, and the caudal fin (tail). All the fins serve a different purpose, but most are there to help the rainbow trout move within the water.
- Rainbow trout can rapidly change colour, getting darker if feeling threatened or being aggressive and lighter when being submissive. Their colour can also change in response to changes in background colour.
- Trout have a strong double row of teeth on the roof of the mouth called vomerine teeth.
- Trout have elliptical eyes (like a circle which has been stretched), which allow them to focus on food and approaching predators at the same time.
- Rainbow trout are predators with a varied diet and will eat nearly anything they can capture, from insects to other small fish.
- Rainbow trout can live in both freshwater and seawater. When found in seawater environments, they are commonly known as “steelhead” trout.