The diagrams display the life cycle of the salmon, which is a large fish species.
Overall, salmon have an average lifespan of nine years and their life cycle consists of four main stages: egg, fry, smolt, and adult. While the first three stages occur in freshwater, the last one takes place in saline water.
The life cycle begins when salmon eggs are laid among small stones at the base of reeds in the upper part of a river, where the current is slow. After approximately 5 to 6 months, fry which measure 3 to 8 centimeters long can be seen in the water. The fry then swim to the lower, faster- flowing part of the river. After growing and feeding there for about 4 years, they reach 12 to 15 centimeters and are considered smolts.
They then head to the ocean where they grow/mature into adult salmon which average 70 to 76 centimeters long. They spend around 5 years there, after which they migrate upstream to their birthplace to spawn, and the entire journey is repeated all over again. (179 Words)
