Discover the Underwater World: Top 9 Amazing Fun Facts About Brown Trout You Never Knew!

1. Redecorating Brown Trout Style

Whoever said size doesn't matter never met a brown trout's redecorating skills: Hens of around 500g can lay approximately 800 eggs in redds which are carefully crafted nests, but larger sea trout take it up a notch by creating redds the size of a kitchen tabletop, filled with much bigger stones. It is also important that the right size of gravel is used—between 5 and 50mm—to ensure a proper refuge for the fertilized eggs until they hatch into the alevin stage, feeding on their yolk leftovers within their gravel hideout.
Source => wildtrout.org

2. The Voracious Shape-shifter

Beware the voracious trout, shape-shifting its way through the rivers with an appetite that would make an entire buffet sweat: Brown trout nimbly switch up their feeding strategies and meal selection to stay on top of the food chain, chomping down on anything from insects and crustaceans to other fish, depending on the season and what's best on the menu.
Source => journals.biologists.com

Did you know the Rainbow Trout is nature's fashionista, flaunting a shimmering silver body and an elegant red band? Discover its stylish secrets!

=> Fun Facts about Rainbow-Trout

3. Globetrotting Brown Trout

Brown trout might not have the globetrotter reputation like Carmen Sandiego, but they sure give her a swim for her money: Originally from Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, these adaptable fish can now be found in warmer waters across the globe, including North and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and even 34 US states like Hawaii and Puerto Rico!
Source => columbia.edu

4. Salt vs. Fresh: Identity Crisis

Whoever said trout can't decide whether they're saltier or fresher than the rest clearly didn't meet these versatile fish that have a little identity crisis: Brown trout, along with euryhaline trout like steelhead rainbow trout and coastal cutthroat trout, possess the amazing ability to adapt to varying salinity levels in their environment by carefully regulating their internal salt balance through osmoregulation.
Source => krebscreek.com

5. A Stunning Zigzag Smile

When brown trout feel like "biting off more than they can chew," they rely on their uniquely stunning smile to ensure they always get a taste of the action: These fascinating fish boast rows of razor-sharp teeth arranged in a zigzag pattern on the roof of their mouths, allowing them to snatch up an array of prey including insects, smaller fish, and even unsuspecting small mammals like mice or voles.
Source => portal.ct.gov

6. Night Owl or Day Swimmer?

Do trout play hide-and-seek at night? Maybe they're just night owls like us binge-watchers: Brown trout have been found to display diel movements where they're more active during the day than at night, although they might sometimes go nocturnal based on factors like temperature and food availability.
Source => link.springer.com

7. Shakespearean Trout Romance

If Shakespeare were a fish, he might write a watery love triangle for brown trout: where passion knows no bounds and size does matter, creating matrimonial mayhem between commitment and "Swim-der" swipes. But, alas, no works of theatre here: Brown trout have both polygamous and monogamous mating habits, with sexual selection based on body size for both males and females, leading to varied reproductive success in their stream-dwelling population.
Source => pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

8. Picky Eater Golden Trout

Brown trout must have been the inspiration for a certain fairy-tale golden goose, for they're fin-icky eaters that don't chase after anything less glittery than the tastiest of fishy snacks: These scaly connoisseurs are known to be more predatory than many of their trout relatives, feasting on a selective, energy-efficient diet and making them a rewarding challenge for fly anglers who often use imitation baitfish flies to catch them.
Source => flyfisherman.com

9. Casanova of the Underwater World

Move over, Casanova, there's a new charmer in town - and his wardrobe is as fishy as they come: During the pre-spawn season, male brown trout develop brilliant yellow to pumpkin orange bellies, flashy red spots, and sometimes even acquire a lifelong hook jaw – all in the name of love and attracting their perfect mate under the river waves.
Source => dwr.virginia.gov