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Pikes and Mudminnows: Esociformes - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Behavior And Reproduction, Muskellunge (esox Masquinongy): Species Account - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, DIET, PIKES AND MUDMINNOWS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS

risk eat fish fishes

MUSKELLUNGE (Esox masquinongy): SPECIES ACCOUNT

Pikes and mudminnows live all over the Northern Hemisphere except Greenland.

All pikes eat fishes, including smaller fish of their own species. Larger pikes also may eat frogs, water birds, and small mammals. Mudminnows eat invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without a backbone, and, very rarely, young fish.

Pikes are popular sport fishes. Mudminnows are used for bait in some areas. Some people keep them in aquariums.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists one species of pikes and minnows as Vulnerable, or facing high risk of extinction in the wild, and one as Lower Risk/Near Threatened, or at risk of becoming threatened with extinction in the future.

Additional Topics

Pikes and Mudminnows: Esociformes - Physical Characteristics

Pikes and Mudminnows: Esociformes - Habitat

Pikes and Mudminnows: Esociformes - Behavior And Reproduction

Outside the breeding season, pikes and mudminnows are solitary and swim and live alone. Pikes usually hover among plants and use small fin movements to stay in place. From this position, the fish wait for their prey, or animals hunted and killed for food, which they capture with a fast strike. Mudminnows may perch on plants or rest on the bottom, eliminating the need for fin movement. When oxygen …

Pikes and Mudminnows: Esociformes - Muskellunge (esox Masquinongy): Species Account

Physical characteristics: Most muskellunge weigh 7 to 20 pounds (3 to 9 kg). The highest weight recorded is about 70 pounds (31.8 kilograms), and that fish was 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. The usual length is less than 40 inches (1 meter). The body is silver or light green with dark spots or mottled markings, but the color varies according to habitat, and markings may be absent. The cheeks and the gi…

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over 1 year ago

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