Canadian wildlife · Drawing 31 of 41
Atlantic Salmon
On the coasts and in the ocean
Atlantic salmon start life in fresh water. Many grow up in the sea, then swim back up rivers, where females lay eggs in the gravel.
Did you know?
The female uses her tail to prepare a nest in gravel.
Look together
Can you find the stones on the bottom?
An idea to try
Draw a river meeting the sea and trace a fish’s journey.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Scientific name: Salmo salar. Where it lives: Eastern Canadian rivers and the North Atlantic; also some lake populations. What it eats: Small aquatic animals; fish and crustaceans at sea. The eggs remain sheltered among the gravel. Not every Atlantic salmon goes to sea: some populations spend their lives in lakes and rivers.
Sources and illustration notes (4)
Simplified drawing for colouring. Coat, feather or skin markings are left white so children can choose their colours. Proportions and details are not a scientific identification plate.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Torrent River: a salmon success storyFemale uses tail to prepare gravel nest; life cycle.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Canada’s Atlantic SalmonAtlantic salmon life history and diet.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Atlantic salmon life cycleFreshwater and marine diets.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Landlocked Atlantic SalmonFreshwater resident populations in eastern Canada.
Page prepared on September 30, 2026. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
This drawing is from the book Canadian Wildlife to Colour
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