Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 30: Nov-Dec 1983 Issue Contents

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The Problem Of The Precocious Parr

A startling shift in the breeding pat-terns of the Atlantic salmon is taking place in the rivers of North America and Europe. Male parr (parr are young sal-mon that have not yet been to sea) are becoming sexually precocious in large numbers. The small males have up to 20% of their body weight allocated to testes and, in consequence, seem to be bulging from full meals. Actually, they are ready to dart in under mature spawning salmon and fertilize some of the newly laid eggs. Experiments show that the parr are rather successful in their furtive endeavors. The question at hand is why the parr are developing precociously when there are sufficient mature male salmon around to do the job. (Montgomery, W. Linn; "Parr Excellence," Natural History, 92:59, June 1983.)

From Science Frontiers #30, NOV-DEC 1983. © 1983-2000 William R. Corliss

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Science Frontiers Sourcebook Project Reviewed in: Icarus: Volume 41, Issue 3, p. 470-470 1984, Vol.56:3, P.615 1983, Vol.58:3 June 1984, Vol.60:3 Dec 1984, Vol.72:3 Dec 1987 Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 81, no. 1 1987 American Journal of Physics, Volume 52, Issue 8, p. 764 August 1984 Quotes "Before opening the book, I set certain standards that a volume which treads into dangerous grounds grounds like this must meet. The author scrupulously met, or even exceeded those standards. Each phenomenon is exhaustively documented, with references to scientific journals [..] and extensive quotations" -- "Book Review: The moon and planets: a catalog of astronomical anomalies", The Sourcebook Project, 1985., Corliss, W. R., Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada>, Vol. 81, no. 1 (1987), p. 24., 02/1987