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Trout In The Classroom

Color & Adaptations��(B. Foster, 2013)

Images Courtesy of :

Michael Lenetsky, Trout Unlimited

Bill Foster, Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom

Tom Hughes, Finger Lake Regional Parks

Troutnut.com

Key concepts to focus on for this presentation:

- observation: just as we depended on observed behavior (swim-up) to figure out when the trout were ready to begin feeding, we can use observations to figure out a lot about a trout's habitat that we can't necessarily see directly.

adaptations: trout are highly adapted to their surroundings, and coloration is a particularly important aspect. Physical setting, age, seasons all affect trout characteristics, and we can tell a lot about habitat by looking at those characteristics.

- Characteristics: we'll run through the shape and parts of the trout, various camouflage and colorations... To make sure kids have an understanding of what they are looking at.

Nature illustration: by drawing/sketching, we can learn a lot about a plant or animal and how it survives in its habitat.

Add-ons:
4^th grade- metric measurement…

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Trout Life Cycle

Your fingerling trout have gone through many changes:

No more yolk sack
Teeth, gills & fins
Colors & markings

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How do animals hide using colors and markings?�

Concealing

Confusing

“Disruptive”

Countershading

Camouflage: An appearance trait (characteristic) that helps an organism survive.

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Can you see these trout using camouflage?

Fingerling trout have parr marks for enhanced camouflage.

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Which type of CAMOUFLAGE do you see?

(Use the “Reaction” feature to Vote!)

Concealing

Confusing

Countershading

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Which type of CAMOUFLAGE do you see?

(Use the “Reaction” feature to Vote!)

Concealing

Confusing

Countershading

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Trout Use Countershading Too!

Type of Waterway Matters: Trout living in lakes are dark gray and silver to provide camouflage from above and below.

Rainbow Trout – See any differences?

Stream Run Fish Lake Run Fish

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Stream-run trout respond to different light quality.

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Many fish, along with reptile and amphibians, use cells called chromatophores to alter their appearance.

How Do Trout Change Color?

The pigment granule in the cell (left above) can change size in response to changes in the fish’s hormone levels as its eyes and brain see the colors of its surroundings.