Dipping posture

A female salmon will dip her body so as to bring her nostrils, which are located on the upper part of the head ahead of the eyes, as close to the bottom as possible while remaining in an upright position. The nostrils contain highly sensitive olfactory tissues. In this position the female appears as if she is searching for ordor related cues as to the suitability of a spot for excavating her redd and spawning. Males will occasionally dip as well for reasons unknown.

Dipping
This female Coho Salmon's (Oncohyncus kisutch) dipping posture suggests that she is using olfaction to assess the suitability of her redd location.
Actinopterygii Animal Autumn Biology Chordata Class Actinopterygii Coho Salmon Ecology Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus kisutch Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Silver Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biological biosphere chordate in situ living naturalworld nature olfaction organism underwater underwaterphoto wild
Dipping female Sockeye Salmon
Female Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) dips low to shiff the water where she is excavating her redd.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Autumn Biology Chordata Class Actinopterygii Ecology Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship diadromous diadromy dipping fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Dipping
Female Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) dipping her body to optimze olfaction of water near the bottom of the stream where she is excavting here redd. Note elevated position of her caudal area.
Actinopterygii Animal Biology Chordata Class Actinopterygii Ecology Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus nerka Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Red Salmon Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing Sockeye Salmon Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei Vertebrate biological biosphere chordate courtship dipping behavior female behavior in situ living naturalworld nature organism underwater underwaterphoto wild
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olifation by dipping her body.
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Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Chum salmon dipping
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) female optimizing olfaction by dipping her body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd crossingover diadromous diadromy dipping dipping behavior female behavior fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior stream under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Male Chum Salmon dipping
Male Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) dipping his body.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Humpback Salmon Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Pink Salmon Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous spawning behavior under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon
Female Chum Salmon dipping
Female Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) dipping her body. This brings her keen olfactory sensors close to the bottom of a stream at a location where she is about to excavate her redd.
Actinopterygii Alaska Alaska wild salmon Animal Biology Chordata Chum Salmon Class Actinopterygii Dog Salmon Ecology Fish Infraclass Teleostei Neopterygii Oncorhynchus keta Pacific salmon Phylum Chordata Reproductive behavior Salmonidae Salmoniformes Salmoninae Seacam underwater housing South Central Alaska Subclass Neopterygii Summer Teleost Teleostei United States Vertebrate anadromous anadromy biological biosphere chordate courtship covering redd diadromous diadromy dipping fresh water freshwater in situ living lotic migratory naturalworld nature organism photographed under water semelparity semelparous sniffing spawning behavior stream under fresh water underwater underwater photography underwaterphoto wild wild salmon