Esox

Esox is a genus of fresh water fish. It is the only living genus in the family Esocidae. The oldest known example of an Esox is Esox tiemani.Joseph S. Nelson, Fishes of the World (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006), p. 205 It dates to about 62 million years ago and was found in Alberta, Canada. They are commonly called pike and pickerel. They are found in the northern parts of North America, Europe and Asia.Lawrence M. Page; Brooks M. Burr, Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011), p. 60 One species, Esox lucius, the Northern pike, is found in both Europe and North America. Esox are large predatory fish with a long cylindrical body. They have a green color (various shades) with yellow eyes. Pike and pickerel share a forked tail fin and a large pointed head. Their dorsal and anal fins are located far back on their bodies. All species have very sharp teeth.

 Species 

Currently there are five species in the Esox genus. The study of this family is not complete. There are several known hybrids between species which occur naturally.Pike: Biology and Exploitation ed. John Craig (London: Chapman & Hall 1996), p. 2 The five species are:

 Esox lucius - The northern pike; found in both Eurasia and North America.Fishes of the Middle Savannah River Basin: With Emphasis on the Savannah , ed. Barton C. Marcy (Athens, GA; London: University of Georgia Press, 2005), p. 241
 Esox reichertii - The Amur pike; found in the Amur river in Asia.
 Esox masquinongy - The Muskellunge; found in  northern and eastern North America.
 Esox niger - The Chain pickerel; native to the U.S. states of Georgia and North Carolina. 
 Esox americanus - The redfin pickerel; also found in Georgia and North Carolina.
There is an extinct species called Esox tiemani. 

 Forage 

All species of Esox are predatory feeders.Mark Everard, Britain's Freshwater Fishes (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013), p. 94 They eat other fish, small mammals and birds. Pike will eat almost anything that doesn't eat them first.Vin T. Sparano, The Complete Outdoors Encyclopedia (New York: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Griffin, 2000), p. 482

 References 

 Other websites 

 University of Esox 
 Northern Pike, Esox lucius
 Chain Pickerel Esox niger 
 Redfin pickerel 
 Amur pike in Russia

Category:Esociformes
Category:Freshwater fish