Salmon or trout?
How to tell them apart
Trout and salmon are close relatives in the same family, with similar migrations; most trout stay in fresh water.
Quick answers
They differ on 1 of the 8 quick answers: domesticated.
| Question | Salmon | Trout |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Fish | Fish |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? differs | Yes | No |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | Yes | Yes |
At a glance
| Question | Salmon | Trout |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Oceans, Rivers | Rivers |
| Habitat differs | Rivers & lakes, Open ocean, Coast | Rivers & lakes, Mountains |
| Size | Medium | Medium |
| Weight differs | 2.3–36 kg (Atlantic salmon) | – |
| Legs | None | None |
| Covered in | Scales | Scales |
| Lives differs | In groups | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 3–8 years | 4–11 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Salmon
Fish that hatch in rivers, go to sea to grow, then return to fresh water to spawn, usually in the stream where they hatched. The Atlantic salmon lives in the North Atlantic, and six Pacific species in the North Pacific.
Trout
Freshwater fish closely related to salmon. Most spend their whole lives in lakes and rivers, migrating upstream to spawn in gravel beds of small headwater streams. A few, like the steelhead, go to sea.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.