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Old 06-27-2008, 10:18 AM   #11
footfootfoot
To shreds, you say?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet!
Posts: 18,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe View Post
I think I get it:

If a salmon is eaten before it procreates, it fails in it's mission and the species does not replicate in that instance.

So, to improve the odds they stuff the predators with dead fish.

The salmon that have *already* procreated and are dead turn a bright color, offering themselves to the predators. This keeps the predators away from the still-camo, not-yet-mated salmon, who are then that much more likely to succeed in reproducing.

Once again I am amazed by the efficiency of nature.
I've been told that the opposite is true, the predators aren't interested in DEAD meat. Scavengers, yes. That's why you see all the nature videos the bear are catching the still living salmon and no one is really scarfing up the floaters.
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