30 Facts About Northern pike

1.

Northern pike is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox .

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2.

Northern pike grow to larger sizes in Eurasia than in North America, and typically grow to larger sizes in coastal than inland regions of Eurasia.

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3.

Northern pike gets its common name from its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike .

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4.

Northern pike are most often olive green, shading from yellow to white along the belly.

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5.

Younger Northern pike have yellow stripes along a green body; later, the stripes divide into light spots and the body turns from green to olive green.

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6.

Unlike the similar-looking and closely related muskellunge, the northern pike has light markings on a dark body background and fewer than six sensory pores on the underside of each side of the lower jaw.

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7.

Silver Northern pike, sometimes called silver muskellunge, lack the rows of spots and appear silver, white, or silvery-blue in color.

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8.

When ill, silver Northern pike have been known to display a somewhat purplish hue; long illness is the most common cause of male sterility.

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9.

Reports of far larger Northern pike have been made, but these are either misidentifications of the Northern pike's larger relative, the muskellunge, or simply have not been properly documented and belong in the realm of legend.

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10.

Northern pike is a relatively aggressive species, especially with regard to feeding.

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11.

One can expect this because when food is scarce, Northern pike fight for survival, such as turning on smaller pike to feed; this is seen in other species such as tiger salamanders.

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12.

Usually, Northern pike tend to feed on smaller fish, such as the banded killifish.

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13.

Cannibalism is more prevalent in cool summers, as the upcoming Northern pike have slow growth rates in that season and might not be able to reach a size to deter the larger Northern pike.

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14.

Unlike species such as perch, Northern pike undergo bursts of energy instead of actively chasing down prey.

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15.

An inverse relation to vegetation density and Northern pike size exists, which is due to the possibility of cannibalism from the largest Northern pike.

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16.

Large Northern pike do not have this worry and can afford the luxury of a large line of sight.

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17.

An interesting behavioral trait that Northern pike have is that they have short digestion times and long feeding periods.

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18.

Male Northern pike arrive to the breeding grounds before females do, preceding them by a few weeks.

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19.

Young Northern pike have been found dead from choking on a Northern pike of a similar size, an observation referred to by the renowned English poet Ted Hughes in his famous poem "Pike".

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20.

Sometimes, divers observe groups of similar-sized Northern pike that cooperate some to start hunting at the same time, so "wolfpack" theories are given.

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21.

Large Northern pike can be caught on dead immobile fish, so these Northern pike are thought to move about in a rather large territory to find food.

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22.

Large Northern pike are known to cruise large water bodies at a few metres deep, probably pursuing schools of prey fish.

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23.

Smaller Northern pike are more of ambush predators, probably because of their vulnerability to cannibalism.

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24.

Fishing for Northern pike is said to be very exciting with their aggressive hits and aerial acrobatics.

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25.

Notably in Britain and Ireland, Northern pike are greatly admired as a sporting fish and they are returned alive to the water to safeguard future sport and maintain the balance of a fishery.

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26.

Esox lucius is found in fresh water throughout the Northern pike Hemisphere, including Russia, Europe, and North America.

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27.

Watersheds in which Northern pike are found include the Ohio Valley, the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries, and the Great Lakes Basin.

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28.

Smaller jack Northern pike often remain in the shallows for their own protection, and for the small fish food available there.

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29.

In recent decades, more Northern pike are released back to the water after catching, but they can easily be damaged when handled.

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30.

Many countries have banned the use of live fish for bait, but Northern pike can be caught with dead fish, which they locate by smell.

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