page_title: Chain pickerel
section_title: Diet
hierarchical_section_title: Chain pickerel / Diet
caption_attribution_description: English: A detail shot of the roof of a chain pickerel's mouth, showing several rows of angled teeth
context_page_description: The chain pickerel is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the American pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pike.
context_section_description: Like the northern pike, the chain pickerel feeds primarily on smaller fish, until it grows large enough to ambush large fish from cover with a rapid lunge and to secure it with its sharp teeth. Chain pickerel are also known to eat frogs, worms, mice, crayfish, and a wide variety of other foods. It is not unusual for pickerel to leap out of the water at flying insects, or even at dangling fishing lures.
caption: The roof of a chain pickerel's mouth, showing several rows of angled, sharp teeth.
exif: {}