A rainbow trout specimen used for a scientific dissection.

Rainbow trout dissection specimen, Bitola, North Macedonia.

Creator: Dijana Blazekovic

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

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Species record

Rainbow Trout

Oncorhynchus mykiss

Explore the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The Rainbow Trout is a cold-water salmonid native to rivers, streams, and lakes along the Pacific coast of North America and northeastern Asia. It is widely farmed, stocked for angling, and introduced to waters in many other regions. Cool, oxygen-rich water is important for wild populations, while managed strains are raised for food and sport.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Chordates
  3. Subphylum: Vertebrates
  4. Class: Actinopterygii
  5. Order: Salmoniformes
  6. Family: Salmonidae
  7. Genus: Oncorhynchus
  8. Species: Oncorhynchus mykiss

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
cold streams, lakes, fish farms
Selected regions
North America, South America, Europe
Selected countries
United States, Canada, Chile, Norway

Conservation status

The Ark records: Least Concern.

Did you know?

  • Rainbow trout live in clear, cold headwaters.
  • Young trout often have dark vertical marks called parr marks.

More images

A female rainbow trout held for a photograph.

Female rainbow trout.

Creator: Mike Anderson

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Sources and attribution