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Esox

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and
Fish

                   iEsox
   Northern pike (E. lucius)
   Northern pike (E. lucius)
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Actinopterygii
   Order:   Esociformes
   Family:  Esocidae
   Genus:   Esox
            Linnaeus, 1758

                                   Species

     E. americanus –
         grass and redfin pickerels
     E. lucius – northern pike
     E. masquinongy – muskellunge
     E. niger – chain pickerel
     E. reichertii – Amur pike

   Esox (Linnaeus, 1758) is a genus of freshwater fish, the only member of
   the pike family (family Esocidae) of order Esociformes. The type
   species is E. lucius, the northern pike. The species of this genus are
   known as the pikes.

   The pike species are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic ecozones,
   ranging across northern North America and from Western Europe to
   Siberia in Eurasia.

   Pikes can grow to a maximum recorded length of 1.83  metres (6  ft),
   reaching a maximum recorded weight of 35  kilograms (77  lb).
   Individuals have been reported to reach 30 years in age. They have the
   elongated, torpedo-like form of predatory fishes, with sharply-pointed
   heads and sharp teeth. Their coloration is typically grey-green with a
   mottled or spotted appearance. The pike's marking is like a finger
   print, each with different patterns.

Name

   The generic name Esox derives from the Greek ίσοξ (a kind of fish),
   itself a word of Celtic origin related to the Welsh ëog and Irish
   Gaelic iach ( salmon). Pliny uses the Latin form esox in reference to a
   large fish in the Rhine normally identified with lax (salmon). It is
   likely that Carolus Linnaeus's application of Esox to the pikes is thus
   a misnomer.
   A young E. lucius specimen—a "pickerel" in the original sense—in an
   aquarium.
   Enlarge
   A young E. lucius specimen—a "pickerel" in the original sense—in an
   aquarium.

   The English common name "pike" is an apparent shortening of
   "pike-fish", in reference to its pointed head, Old English píc
   originally referring to a pickaxe.

   A northern English and Lowland Scots name for the pike, ged, similarly
   derives from Old Norse gaddr (spike) (cf. the modern Swedish name for
   the pike, gädda, and Scottish Gaelic: geadais). The Finnish name hauki
   and Estonian haug derive from verb haukata, to bite.

   The English "pike" originally referred specifically to the adult fish,
   the diminutive form "pickerel" (now used to name some of the smaller
   pikes, E. americanus and E. niger) referring to the young. The walleye
   (Sander vitreus) is sometimes called a pickerel, but it is unrelated to
   the pikes, being a member of the perch family (family Percidae). The
   pikes are not to be confused with the unrelated pikeminnows
   (traditionally, and perhaps better known as squawfish) of genus
   Ptychocheilus (family Cyprinidae) or pikeperch (Stizostedion
   lucioperca) which is more akin to walleye than to pike.

   Two United States Navy submarines have been named Pike, SS-6 of 1903
   and SS-173 of 1935, and three, SS-22 of 1912, SS-177 of 1936, and
   SS-524 of 1944, named Pickerel. In addition, the Soviet submarines
   known to NATO as the Victor III class were called the Shchuka (Щука,
   "pike") class, in Russian. The Soviet Iosif Stalin tank (IS-3) was also
   nicknamed Shchuka, in reference to its sharply pointed hull front.

Diet

   The pike feeds on a wide range of food sources. Their primary prey is
   other fish, including their own kind. Their main prey is roach whenever
   available; they also prey on perch, eels and minnow. They devour fish
   up to one-third of their own size. Pike are cannibalistic; some 20% of
   the diet consist of pikes smaller than themselves.

   They will also prey on insects and amphibians such as newts or frogs in
   times when food is scarce, and occasionally on small mammals, like
   moles or mice when caught water-borne. Small birds such as ducklings
   may become a target for hungry pike. Pikes are also known to prey on
   swimming snakes, such as vipers. Big pike have been known to swallow
   adult wild ducks whole.

   The pikes are notoriously voracious carnivores and can be potential
   pests when introduced into alien ecosystems. Pike angling is becoming
   an increasingly popular past time in the UK and Europe. Effective
   methods for catching this hard fighting fish include dead baits, lure
   fishing, and jerk baiting. They are prized as game fish for their
   determined fighting and have been food fish since ancient times. They
   can easily be damaged when handled. Since they have very sharp teeth
   and the the teeth are numerous, it is wise to take extreme care when
   unhooking the pike. The angler also needs to take great care when
   unhooking a caught pike, as to not harm the gills. It is recommended
   that barbless trebles are used when angling for this species as it
   vastly simplifies unhooking. Unhooking should be accomplished using
   long forceps—30 cm artery clamps are ideal. The pike should be kept out
   of the water for the minimum amount of time possible, and should be
   given some time to recover before being weighed and photographed.

In mythology

   In the Finnish Kalevala, Väinämöinen creates a kantele (string
   instrument) from the jawbone of the pike.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esox"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
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