This document provides teaching notes on salmon anatomy for key stage 2 pupils. It includes background information on using salmon anatomy to teach pupils about animal adaptation. The notes describe the external features of salmon, including their six bony fins and two other fins, as well as scales and lateral line. Pupils will learn about salmon senses like smell that allow them to return to their home stream after feeding at sea. The document lists curriculum links and vocabulary and provides resources for lessons, videos, and games about salmon anatomy.

1. Teachers Notes: Salmon Anatomy
Background
Information
This topic will explore the external anatomy of the salmon, giving pupils the
opportunities to investigate how these body parts help the salmon adapt to its
environment. Pupils will also be encouraged to compare and make links
between the salmon’s anatomy and a human’s anatomy.
Brief notes on the salmon’s anatomy (Lesson1)
Salmon have 6 bony fins and 2 other fins- the adipose (fatty) fin and the tail
fin- caudla fin.
2 pectoral fins near the head, 2 pelvic fins on the belly, 1 anul fin behind the
belly and 1 dorsal fin on the centre of the back. These fins enable the
salmon to balance and steer through the water.
The ‘lateral line’-a line of special lines on each side of the salmon’s body are
sensitive to pressure and movements in the water.
Scales provide protection against predators, bruising and disease.
Brief notes on the salmon’s senses (Lesson 2)
The majority of salmon species always return to their home stream after
feeding travelling thousands of kilometres at sea.
Hypotheses of how they do this include: passive drift- salmon allow
currents to bring them back, random searching- through trial and error they
find their way back, temperature and salinity- salmon follow temperature
and salinity fronts to guide them and magnetic navigation- salmon use the
earth’s magnetic field to act as an internal compass.
It is their sense of smell which ultimately guides them home once close to
their home stream. The salmon’s nostrils have extremely sensitive cells
which can detect each streams unique odour to distinguish theirs.
This retention of scent from the home stream
Key Stage 2
Links with
Curriculum
World Around US Strands-
Interdependence- How living things depend on each other in the natural world.
Place- Ways in which people, plants and animals depend on the features and
materials in places and how they adapt to their environment.
Key
Vocabulary
Head- eyes, nostrils, mouth, teeth, gills, blood vessels, oxygen.
Fins- pectoral, pelvic, anul, dorsal, adipose & caudla (tail fin).
Scales- lateral line, slime.
Diet- plankton, insects, invertebrates, eels, fish & shrimp.
List of
resources
provided
PowerPoint 1- Salmon Anatomy Lesson Plan 1- Salmon Anatomy
PowerPoint 2- Interactive Anatomy Quiz
Lesson Plan 2- Fishy Go Home!
Lesson Plan 3- Stuffed Salmon

2. Useful links Salmon dissection-
http://www.pskf.ca/sd/
http://www.salmonidsintheclassroom.ca/sd/index.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00548/DissectionGame.html
Anatomy-
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/learning/kids/?cid=fsbdev2_027478
http://dive.bc.ca/basic_fish_anatomy.html
http://www.vanaqua.org/salmontales/english/learningcentre/whatisasalmon.p
hp
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/education/documents/sicprimary-
secprimaire/english/sic_primary_unitbackground_3.pdf
http://www.seymoursalmon.com/salmonanatomy.php
Videos-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Atlantic_salmon
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/science_up_close/211/deploy/interfa
ce.html
Games-
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00548/SalmonOutsideGame.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00548/DissectionGame.html