Redfin pickerel
| Redfin Pickerel | |
|---|---|
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| Redfin pickerel, E. americanus americanus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Esociformes |
| Family: | Esocidae |
| Genus: | Esox |
| Species: | E. americanus |
| Subspecies: | E. a. americanus |
| Trinomial name | |
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Esox americanus americanus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 |
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The redfin pickerel (Esox americanus americanus) is a subspecies of freshwater fish belonging to the pike family (Esocidae) of the order Esociformes. Not to be confused with its close relatives, the grass pickerel and the chain pickerel, this fish is unique in the fact that it has brightly colored red fins. Like all pikes, the redfin pickerel is an ambush predator, lying amongst thick vegetation in wait for smaller, more agile prey to enter within its range of attack.
The redfin pickerel can be found in freshwater lakes, streams, and swamps along the Atlantic slope. Stable populations extend from Massachusetts to Florida's Okeechobee Lake, and west into Gulf drainages up to Mississippi's Pascagoula River. Because the redfin pickerel is an ambush predator, the fish prefers freshwater habitats with high visibility and dense vegetation or decaying organic matter in which to hide itself.
The redfin pickerel, like other fish of the Esox genus, is well adapted to sprint predation. The posterior positioning of the unpaired fins is testament to this, the dorsal fin lining up with the anal fin, and the ventral more rearward than would be found on other fish body types. The pectorals are shrunken to the fish, while the caudal fin is rather large so as to provide considerable thrust. Further adaptations correlating with their rushing style is a hydrodynamic tube shaped body, a flat nose, and an unadorned head.
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Wikipedia