Do you get an uncomfortable, maybe even a queasy feeling, whenever you see clusters of small holes or bumps? You may have trypophobia, a.k.a the fear or aversion of seeing such sights! Some of these images may be triggering to some, but they’re just part of nature. Let’s get into it.
Fish Scales and Eggs
Left: Closeup of rainbow trout scales. Credit: Tom Koerner/USFWS. Right: Winter-run salmon eggs raised at Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery. Credit: Laura Mahoney/USFWS
Did you know fish scales have rings, called annuli, that can indicate the age of the fish? Scales protect fish, much like a suit of armor, and have a slimy covering of mucus which helps with swimming swiftly through water. One day, these googly-eyed salmon eggs at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery in California, will hatch and be released in the Sacramento River system. Not too bad right? We’ll keep going…