Musk Pike
Musk Pike is a relatively large freshwater fish native to the cold lakes and middle watershed of the Risden River in Mikitivity. Some Musk Pikes live as far south as lac Penance in Sober Thought. They are a member of the pike family.
Since they are strong swimmers, they have become popular game fish and have been introduced into several non-native habitats outside of the Thuvian mountains. Individuals have been reported to reach 20 years of age.
Contents
Appearance
Musk Pike closely resemble other pikes in appearance and behavior. Their bodies are elongated with flat heads and dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins set far back of their heads. Their predatory nature is easily identified by their sharp teeth and torpedo like form. They can be easily identified from other pikes, as their namesake suggests, adults have a musky smell when removed from the water. Like other pikes, their coloration is typically grey-green with columns of dark spots.
Adults range in lenghts of 65-200 centimeters (2-6 feet) and with weights over 35 kilograms (77 pounds). They have excellent eye-sight, and are suited to swimming long distances quickly. As strong swimmers, these boney fish actually have ample meat and are highly sought after by sports fishermen.
Habitat
Preferring cold rivers and lakes, Musk Pike can be found living near or far from the shore and channel surfaces.
Native Environment
Musk Pike are native to the Risden River watershed in the Thuvian mountains, and can be found as far north as the Oberer and Unterer Limmatsees and as far south as lac Penance. Suited for swimming longer distances, greater numbers can be found in the lakes. However, it is not uncommon for an aggressive fish to hunt for prey in river and stream channels far from a large, slower body of water.
List of Countries where Musk Pikes are a native species:
Non-Native Locations
They are highly adpative to any cooler freshwater environment with large flows, and as notorious carnivores and fast swimmers, become serious ecological threats when introduced into alien ecosystems. Their nature as a fast hunter makes them particular difficult to manage or farm, thus once introduced, waters infested with non-native Musk Pike must be poisoned to restore the local ecosystem to its natural state.
List of Countries where Musk Pikes are an invasive species:
- Baranxtu (introduced in the 1860s)
Diet & Predators
Musk Pike are entirely carnivorous, typically feeding on anything slow enough to be caught and small enough to fit in their mouths. This includes other fish, crayfish, frogs, ducklings, snakes, small rodents, and anything else that is unfortunately enough to swim in pike habitat. They typically engulf their prey head first in a single gulp, though sometimes a pike has died after lodging a meal too large to fit down its throat. Pike avoid anything larger than their mouth, and thus pose no danger to people or large mammals and adult waterfowl. The fish exhibit no aggressive behavior towards other species that they do not consider food and are not territorial.
Humans and Ursines are the primary predators of Musk Pike. Birds of prey will also hunt the adult pike, however younger pike are hunted by many other fish species. In isolated environments, the larger pike will prey upon smaller pike, but only when the smaller fish are slow enough to be caught by the stronger adults.
Life Cycle
Reaching sexual maturity at 3-5 years, the Musk Pike is a long-lived predator. Females grow faster and live longer than males, and since the fish are not territorial they have a low rate of reproduction. Young fish tend to dwell in away from shorelines, but being under developed, they are not capable of out swimming many other adult fish species, thus fewer juveniles make it to adulthood. Anglers typically practice catch and release with native Musk Pike, but in introduced environments many fish still find their ways to the dinner table.
Social Significance
Musk Pike are highly sought after game fish, and as such have been introduced into many alien environments, including isolated ponds. Their muscular elongated bodies make them particularly difficult to catch by line, and almost impossible to catch by trawl or net. When introduced into isolated ponds or lakes, the fish first prey on non-pikes, only turning to other pikes if no other food sources are available. However, when introduced into alien ecosystems that are not isolated, the Musk Pike habitat quickly spreads as they pursue other prey.
