Vandarch pike
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| Vandarch pike | |
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| E. vandarcensis in the Zoological Gardens Collinebourg | |
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| Esox vandarcensis Charles Linneaux, 1735
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The Vandarch pike (Esox vandarcensis) is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (pike). Common throughout Levantia, they are commonly found in the brackish and fresh waters of the Vandarch and the numerous rivers and lakes that feed into it. With a fossil range dating back to the Late Cretaceous, the Vandarch pike is considered a living fossil by the scientific community.
Vandarch pike have the elongated, torpedo-like shape typical of predatory fishes, with sharply pointed heads and sharp teeth. Their coloration is typically grey-green with a mottled or spotted appearance with stripes along their backs, providing camouflage among underwater weeds, and each individual pike marking patterns are unique like fingerprints. Vandarch pike can grow to large sizes; their average length is about 40–55 cm (16–22 in), with maximum recorded lengths of up to 150 cm (59 in) and maximum weights of 28.4 kg (63 lb). The International Game Fish Association currently recognises a 28 kilograms (62 lb) pike caught by Siegmar Groff on Seering Lake, Yonderre, on 16 October 1986, as the all-tackle world-record holding Vandarch pike.
The Vandarch pike, while not held in particularly high regard as a foodstuff in modern times, has historically been held in high regard by the Levantine peoples. It remains one of the apex predators of the Lake Vandarch and is designated as the national fish of Yonderre. It is a prized trophy fish throughout Levantia and, thanks to its depictions in Yonderian cinema, Kiravia.
Etymology
The Vandarch pike takes its Ænglish name from the pointed shape of its head by way of the Olde Ænglish word píc originally meaning "pickaxe". "Pickerel" is a common term for juvenile pikes. The plural of pike is also pike. The specific name "Vandarch pike" refers to Lake Vandarch where the fish is found in ample abundance today. It is known as Peyke in the East Gothic language from the same root as the Ænglish "pike". It is known as brochet in Burgoignesc from broche (“spike, pin”) + -et, after the pointed jaws of the fish.
Fossil record
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E. vandarcensis is known from countless specimens around Levantia dating back as far as 70 million years ago, placing the species firmly at the beginning of the Esox-genus' lineage. The Vandarch pike predates the Lake Vandarch for which it is named by at least 69 million years, having evidently evolved at some point during the Late Cretaceous in the brackish and fresh waters of Northeastern Sarpolevantia.