How to Identify a Male Salmon From a Female Salmon
Discerning a male from a female salmon can be difficult depending on the species of salmon you're looking at and the time of year-during winter months it is almost impossible to tell them apart--but in the late summer months, there are distinctive characteristics that set the male salmon apart from the female.
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Instructions
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Examine the salmon's mouth. In the male, the tip of the mouth will be hooked upwards from the lower jaw. This is called a kype. Only males will have a kype, which is used to fight with other males for spawning rights as well as in certain courtship rituals.
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Look for a hump on the salmon's back. In certain species, most notably the pinks and the sockeye, the male salmon will develop a distinctive and pronounced hump on his back.
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Examine the salmon for any bright coloration. In some species of salmon, such as the sockeye, the male salmon exhibits a distinctive red coloration that is much brighter than that in the female. Bright colorful spots on the side of any species of salmon denote a male. As in most animal species, bright coloration of any kind usually denotes a male.
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Look at the size of the head. The female salmon will have what appears to be a "normal" sized head, whereas the male salmon will have a head that appears slightly too large for its body, and it's head will be longer with more of a pointed jaw.
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Tips & Warnings
At certain times of the year, it is nearly impossible to tell a male from a female salmon merely by appearance. As spawning time grows nearer, the male salmon develops a distinctive hook on its lower jaw, but the female does not.
