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Northern Pike
Esox lucius
By Andrew Briggs
Taxonomy
! Class: Actinopterygii
! Order: Esociformes
! Family: Esocidae
! Genus: Esox
! Specific Epithet: lucius
Identification and Characteristics
! Body Shape: elongate and cylindrical ! Mouth/Dentition: duck-billed snout with terminal mouth with numerous caniniform teeth ! Coloration: rows of light oval spots on a dark green background; belly is cream or white ! Fins: forked tail, single dorsal fin with no spines, no adipose fin and anal and dorsal fin are positioned posteriorly ! Size: max length of 150 cm (59 inches) and 35 kg ( lbs)
How to Distinguish From Similar
Species
! Northern Pike: ! Cheek is fully scaled, opercle only half scaled ! 5 mandibular pores per side of jaw and 14- branchiostegal rays ! Oval spots on dark green background (adults) ! Muskellunge: ! Only top of cheek and opercle scaled ! 6-9 mandibular pores per side of jaw and 16- 19 branchiostegal rays ! Solid light olive color or dark verticle bars or spots on light background (adults) ! Northern Pike: ! Cheek is fully scaled, opercle only half scaled ! 5 mandibular pores per side of jaw and 14- branchiostegal rays ! Oval spots on dark green background (adults) ! Muskellunge: ! Only top of cheek and opercle scaled ! 6-9 mandibular pores per side of jaw and 16- 19 branchiostegal rays ! Solid light olive color or dark verticle bars or spots on light background (adults)
How to Distinguish Continued
! Grass Pickeral:
! Fully scaled cheek and opercle ! 4 mandibular pores and 10 to 14 branchiostegal rays ! Color is dark and mottled with irregular vertical bars ! Have a dark vertical bar below eye
- Northern Pike:
- Muskellunge:
- Grass Pickeral: Juveniles
! Northern Pike:
! Muskellunge:
! Grass Pickeral:
Northern Pike x Muskellunge (Tiger Muskellunge)
! Intermediate color and pigment patterns
! Partially scaled cheek
! 5 mandibular pores
Native Range
! Native to most of the northern United States
and Canada
! Also found in from France to eastern Siberia
and south to northern Italy
Diet
! Have a wide range of food items
! Most adults eat other fish (sometimes other northern pike) ! Also eat frogs and crayfish ! Have been known to eat ducks and small mammals http://www.finn-tasticcanada.com/Northern.jpg Feeding Style
! Normally lie-and-wait predators
! Use their disruptive coloration to blend in with surrounding cover
! Are willing to take on very large prey
! Will often eat something and let it hang out of their mouth as they digest it
! Often take an “S” shape to spring them
forward to take their prey
Human Impact
! Commercial fishery
! Gamefish
! Public aquariums
! Tasty
! Look out for “Y” bones http://www.finn-tasticcanada.com/Northern.jpg
