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Esox Lucius

The northern pike (known simply as a pike in Britain, Ireland, or as jackfish in Canada and in
the United States of America Esox lucius), is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (the
pikes). They are typical of brackish and freshwaters of the northern hemisphere (i.e. holarctic in
distribution).

Habitat

Pike take big prey and are not very particular

Pike are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear,
rocky waters. Pike are typical ambush predators; they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still
for long periods and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike. In short, they will
inhabit any water body that contains fish, but suitable places for spawning are essential for their
numbers. Because of their cannibalistic nature, young pike need places where they can take
shelter between plants so they are not eaten. In both cases it comes down to a rich submersible
vegetation nearby. Pikes are seldom found in brackish water, except for the Baltic Sea area. Pike
is known to prefer water with less turbidity but that is probably related to their dependence on
the presence of submersible vegetation and not to their being a sight hunter.

Reproduction

Pike are known to spawn in spring when the water temperature first reaches 9°C (48.2°F).[3] The
males are first at the spawning grounds preceding the females for a few weeks. The larger
females tend to be earlier than the smaller ones. Mostly a female is followed by several smaller
males. When a pair starts slowing down the male will put his tail under the female's body and
release his spawn that is mixed with the eggs due to the tail movement. The spawning consists of
a great number of these moves several times a minute and going on for a few hours a day. Every
move between 5 and 60 eggs are laid. A female can continue the mating for three days in a row.
After the mating the males tend to stay in the area for a few extra weeks.

The color of the sticky eggs is yellow to orange, the diameter is 2.5 to 3 mm. The embryos are
7.5 to 10 mm in length and able to swim after hatching but stay on the bottom for some time. The
embryonic stage is 5 to 16 days, dependent on water temperature (at 19°C and 10°C,
respectively). Under natural circumstances the survival from free swimming larva to 75 mm pike
is around 5 percent. Pike can reach the reproductive stage in a year, females being 30 cm, males
19 cm. Pike normally live 5 to 15 years, but can be as old as 30. Life expectancy and growth are
dependent on circumstances. Some Canadian populations have many old slender pikes, Baltic
pike grow to great lengths in a short time while eating nutrient rich herring.

Feeding

The young free swimming pike feed on small invertebrates starting with daphnia, and quicky
moving on to bigger prey like isopods like asellus or gammarus. When the body length is 4 to
8 cm they start feeding on small fish.

The pike have a very typical hunting behavior, they are able to remain stationary in the water, by
just moving the last fin rays of the dorsal fins and the breast fins. Before striking they bend their
body and dash out to the prey using the large surface of tail fin, dorsal fin and anal fin to propel
themselves. The fish has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth,
immobilising it with its sharp backward pointing teeth, and then turning the prey headfirst to
swallow it. It eats mainly fish, but on occasion water voles[disambiguation needed] and ducklings have
also been known to fall prey to pike. Young pike have been found dead from choking on a pike
of a similar size, an observation referred to by the renowned English poet Ted Hughes in his
famous poem 'Pike'.[4] Northern pike also feed on frogs, insects and leeches. It has often been
suggested that pike optimally forage on prey that are from 45 to 55% of their body length. They
are not very particular and eat spiny fish like perch and will even take sticklebacks if that is the
only available prey.

The northern pike is a largely solitary predator. It migrates during a spawning season, and it
follows the prey fish like roach to their deeper winter quarters. Sometimes divers observe groups
of similar sized pike that might have some cooperation and it is known to anglers pike tend to
start hunting at the same time, so there are some "wolfpack" theories about that. Large pike can
be caught on dead immobile fish so it is thought that these pike move about in a rather large
territory to find the food to sustain them. Large pike are also known to cruise large water bodies
at a few metres depth, probably pursuing schools of prey fish. Smaller pike are more of an
ambush predator, probably because of their vulnerability to cannibalism. Pikes are often found
near the exit of culverts, which can be attributed to the presence of schools of prey fish and the
opportunity for ambush. Being potamodromous, all esocids tend to display limited migration,
although some local movement may be of key significance for population dynamics. In the
Baltic they are known to hunt for shoals herring and therefore have some seasonal migration.
Importance to humans

E. lucius caught by an angler in the river Dráva, Hungary

Although generally known as a "sporting" quarry, some anglers release pike they have caught
because the flesh is considered bony, especially due to the substantial (epipleural) "Y-bones".
Larger fish are more easily filleted, and pike have a long and distinguished history in cuisine and
are popular fare in Europe. Historical references to cooking pike go as far back as the Romans.
The flesh is white and mild-tasting. Fishing for pike is said to be very exciting with their
aggressive hits and aerial acrobatics. Pike are among the largest freshwater fish.

Because of their prolific nature and as predators, laws have been enacted in some places to help
stop the spread of northern pike outside of their native range. For instance, in the states of Maine
and California, anglers are required, by law, to remove the head from a pike once it has been
caught.[5] In Alaska pike are native north and west of the Alaska Range, but have been illegally
introduced to the south central Alaska by game fishermen. In south central Alaska there is no
limit in most areas. Pike, while loved by most, are seen as a threat to native wild stocks of
salmon by some fishery managers.

Notably in Britain and Ireland, pike are greatly admired as a sporting fish and they are returned
alive to the water in order to safeguard future sport and maintain the balance of a fishery. The
Pike Anglers Club has campaigned to preserve pike since 1977, arguing that the removal of pike
from waters can lead to an explosion of smaller fish, which is damaging to both the sport fishery
and the environment.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_pike#Habitat

Enemies: Fisherman say that Northern pike are a challenge to catch and
very good to eat, so one of the main predators of the pike is humans. As
well, since Northern pike are eating entire populations of native fish,
fisherman and state agencies are trying to control (or limit) their populations
in some areas.
http://nhguide.dbs.umt.edu/index.php?c=fish&m=desc&id=15

Facts - Pike
Kingdo Animalia
m

Phylum Chordata

Class Actinopterygii

Order Haplomi

Family Esocidae

Genus Esox

Size Male length: 25 – 100 cm

Female length: up to 150 cm

Weight up to 35 kg

http://www.arkive.org/pike/esox-lucius/

http://www.cnsweb.org/digestvertebrates/WWWEdStevensFishPike.html - digestion system

http://creationwiki.org/Pike- food chain

eurodancer dj mangoo

deadmau5 a city in florida

Sydney blu – give it up 4 me

http://www.cnsweb.org/digestvertebrates/WWWEdStevensCDAnatomy.html