Rainbow Trout

fish · cold water · ocean explorer

Rainbow stripes. Rainbow trout get their name from the colorful stripe that runs along their side, shifting from red to orange to yellow, like a painted masterpiece on their body.

Pacific home. These fish originally come from cold mountain streams and rivers that flow toward the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia, where they thrive in icy water.

Ocean adventurers. Some rainbow trout, called steelhead, are extra brave and swim out to the ocean to grow big and strong for two or three years before returning to freshwater rivers to have babies.

Speckled swimmers. Rainbow trout are covered in small dark spots and have silvery, shimmering scales that help them blend in with their rocky stream homes.