Bony fish · Salmoniformes · Salmonidae

Brook Trout

Salvelinus fontinalis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Despite its common name it is not a true trout but a member of the genus Salvelinus. It was the first destination sport fish in 19th-century America.

Weight

300 g – 6.6 kg

Size

25 cm – 86 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterCarnivore Variable activity Solitary Fish Freshwater

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Fun facts

It eats insects and their larvae, zooplankton, small crustaceans and fish.
It lays its eggs in a redd, a gravel nest dug out by the female.
It lives in cold spring-fed streams and lakes of eastern North America.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (fish)
Habitat & environment: Cold spring-fed streams and lakes with sand and gravel beds in eastern North America; widely introduced elsewhere
Birth weight: Tiny larva at hatching
Size at birth: Tiny larva at hatching
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: The eggs incubate for 2-3 months buried in the gravel
Litter / clutch size: Hundreds of eggs laid in a redd, a gravel nest dug by the female

Sources consulted: Dimensions.com; Virginia DWR; AnAge; EBSCO; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Wildlife Federation; USGS NAS; Orvis News; BioKIDS