Adaptations
Esox lucius are
extremely good predators which is a good thing for them since it
seems their hunger for food never stops. To achieve the success
pike have in capturing prey they have developed several
adaptations. One place where the pike has developed is in its
head region. Pike have a duck-billed snout with a terminal mouth
and lots of small sharp teeth. With the arrangement of the head
it allows pike to achieve a better bite on prey.
Another area were the pike has made improvements is in the body.
The color of the pike is darker olive or green with yellow-green
spots. This pattern of colors allows the pike to blend
with the bottom and remain invisible to prey. Along with the
pattern, pike have elongated and
streamlined bodies with a forked tail. This style of body allows
it to achieve a quick burst of speed to capture prey. One last
adaptations that pike have is that they can tolerate a wide
variety of water temperatures, clarity, salinity, and oxygen
content which allows them to hunt almost anywhere.
Though adult pike have a lot of adaptations, the young are
not exempt from having their own. After birth pike are equipped
with a sucker organ that allows itself to fasten to vegetation
or the bottom. Besides serving as a means to keep them from
floating into a predator's path this organ also serves as a way
of getting food such as zooplankton and insects.
Website created Spring 2008 by Brian Haslag