By the mere appearance of this freshwater fish, one can judge its predatory habits and extraordinary agility. The carapace pike (the photographs clearly demonstrate this) has a long sagittal body with a powerful tail and fins somewhat tilted back, which allows it to make rapid throws. The habitat is the water area of the Caribbean Sea, as well as freshwater bodies of North and Central America.
Carapace pike has existed on the planet for more than two hundred million years, since the Cretaceous. Now there are seven varieties of these fish. Among them there is even a decorative look - the aquarium shell pike, which, unlike its relatives, grows no more than thirty centimeters. Over the previous hundred million years, these creatures, belonging to the order of the cuirassiform class of ray-finned species, have not undergone absolutely no evolutionary changes, which gives modern scientists certain ideas about the external appearance and habits of prehistoric freshwater fish.
The shell pike, like a medieval knight dressed in armor, is the undisputed mistress of large rivers with their numerous tributaries that carry their waters to the Gulf of Mexico. These freshwater creatures, among other things, also perfectly breathe atmospheric air thanks to their well-developed swimming bladder. It was not in vain that the shell pike got its name: its body, resembling the shape of an ordinary pike in its shape , covers a continuous and extremely durable shell. It consists of large diamond-shaped scales, coated on the outside with a special substance - hanoin, which is extremely similar in composition to the enamel of the teeth of terrestrial animals and humans.
Due to this, the carapace has such strength that spear spear guns bounce off it, just like on an armor plate. Carapace pike is also called caiman fish because of the long snout, similar to the head of a crocodile, which is combined with completely crocodile habits. Moreover, the fish in the water has such a striking resemblance to the cayman that fishermen often confuse these extremely different representatives of the water world.
All shell pike, as noted above, are typical freshwater fish, although they can often be found in the salty waters of the Caribbean. Even at a fairly young age, predatory instincts begin to awaken in them. Having barely reached a length of five centimeters, they go on their first hunt, attacking the fry of other fish. As a rule, armored pikes use ambush tactics, stalking prey from shelter.
This is where their crocodile manners manifest in all their splendor. Like these bloodthirsty killers, the carapace with powerful jaws grabs the victim across the body and can hold it in this position long enough before finally swallowing the exhausted prey. However, despite their rather impressive dimensions (some individuals reach four meters in length with a weight of about 150 kg), these ferocious and aggressive predators pose no great danger to humans.
Alarmed by the swimmer or fishermen, the shells prefer to flee, instantly going to the depths. As the studies of a group of American scientists conducted in the lower Mississippi River have demonstrated , cases of attacks by these predators on humans are extremely rare, even with direct contact. Aggression in relation to people is possible only when the armored pike is extremely hungry, injured or very frightened.
As for their habits, it should be noted that these predatory inhabitants of freshwater reservoirs spend most of their time motionless, frozen in the water column. Only in the summer period, which is characterized by a significant decrease in oxygen in the water, carapace float to the surface to breathe in fresh air.
The meat of these fish is practically not eaten by people, because it is extremely tough and has a specific aftertaste. Carapace caviar is also inedible due to its toxicity, although the ovaries of large females sometimes reach a mass of ten kilograms.