Family: Esocidae, Pikes view all from this family
Description To 6' (1.8 m); 67 lb (31 kg). Long, head broad, flat to concave above, tail forked; back greenish to light brown; sides greenish-gray to silvery usually with dark spots or diagonal bars; belly creamy-white; median fins greenish to reddish-brown with dark markings. Cheeks and opercles usually scaled only on upper half; 16-19 branchiostegal rays; lower jaw has 6-9 large sensory pores on each side; lateral line complete, 132-167 scales.
Habitat Lakes and reservoirs with thick vegetation; slow, meandering rivers and streams with abundant plant cover.
Range Se. Manitoba, sw. Ontario east through Great Lakes to St. Lawrence River, south to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, n. Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky; upper Mississippi River, Minnesota south to Missouri.
Discussion The largest species in the family, the "Musky" is most sought by anglers. It feeds primarily on fishes, but will eat any animal it can swallow, such as small ducks and amphibians. This species and the Northern Pike have been crossed to produce a more robust fish called the Tiger Muskellunge, commonly stocked in some areas.
