AnAge entry for Salmo salar
Classification (HAGRID: 04102)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Teleostei
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Salmonidae
Genus: Salmo
- Species
- Salmo salar
- Common name
- Atlantic salmon
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- Maximum longevity
- 13 years (wild)
- Source
- ref. 1
- Sample size
- Medium
- Data quality
- Acceptable
- Observations
Like in many other salmonid species, most animals die after spawning [0524]. While most animals return to spawn in rivers, however, there are alternative life histories: parr and jacks have a small body size and mature early, yet while jacks return early to spawn from the ocean, parr do not migrate and can survive reproduction and breed again [0413]. Unverified estimates suggest these animals may live up to 14 years [0454].
Interestingly, one study showed that animals infected with a Pearl mussel parasite live longer, have a lower cancer incidence, and avoid the typical "programmed death" that follows reproduction possibly because the parasite needs the salmon to live one more year to complete its life cycle [0414].
Life history traits (averages)
- No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.
Metabolism
No information on metabolism is available.
References
- [0414] Ziuganov (2005), A long-lived parasite extending the host life span: the pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera elongates host life by turns out the program of accelerated senescence in salmon Salmo salar (PubMed)
- [0001] Carey and Judge (2000), Longevity Records: Life Spans of Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish
- [0524] Patnaik et al. (1994), Ageing in fishes (PubMed)
- [0413] Hutchings and Myers (1994), The evolution of alternative mating strategies in variable environments
- [0126] Metcalfe et al. (1989), Early social status and the development of life-history strategies in Atlantic salmon (PubMed)
- [0454] Froese and Pauly, FishBase
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- ITIS 161996
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Taxonomy ID 8030
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
- Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
- Images
- Google Image search
- Internet
- Search Google