Scientists in New Zealand have discovered that when it comes to salmon sex, it is not necessarily the fastest sperm that will win the race or the approval of the female. Read on and learn more about these “fishy facts of life.”
According to
news sources, a research team at the University of Otago has discovered that female salmon have an influence over which male fertilizes their eggs even after they are deposited. The team compared the swimming speeds of 11 salmon’s sperm in the diluted ovarian fluids of seven females and found that the speed of the male’s sperm was somewhat dependant on which female ovarian fluid it was swimming in.
Researcher Professor Neil Gemmell, director of the university's Centre for Reproduction and Genomics, said:
"This appears to be the first example of 'cryptic female choice' found in an externally fertilizing species. We were startled to find that female salmon are also able to exert this kind of influence. Previously, it had been thought that once their eggs had been released, females had very little say over which of the surrounding males would fertilize them.”
It is hoped that these finding will shed new light on the understanding of the reproduction process. The emphasis on the research now is to determine the chemical process that controls the speed of the sperm.
Gemmell further stated:
"From the female's perspective, it makes sense that when you only have one opportunity to reproduce in your life, you want to make sure you get it right. For the males, you could say that the upshot is that there may be someone for everyone in the salmon world.”
I certainly hope so. It’s a lonely salmon world, even though we have always heard that every salmon pot has its cover!
Salmon everywhere, unite and be happy!
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Female Salmon: Picky And Sometimes Hard To Get
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