Tiger muskellunge (Esox lucius x Esox masquinongy, also known as tiger muskie) are a sterile, fast-growing cross between northern pike and muskellunge.
They have long, cylindrical-shaped bodies like their parental species, and can reach similar sizes. They have a unique color pattern that includes dark “tiger-like” vertical stripes on a light background.
It lives in fresh water and its range extends to Canada, the Northeast, and parts of the Midwest and Southern United States. It grows quickly; in one study, tiger muskie grew 1.5 times as fast as muskellunge.
Like other hybrid species, tiger muskie are said to have “hybrid vigor,” meaning they grow faster and stronger than the parent fish, and are also less susceptible to disease.
In the warmer months tiger muskellunge can typically be found in the shallow water areas of lakes, ponds and rivers along weed edges or other structure. They tend to move to deeper water in the winter.
Tiger muskellunge are ambush predators and tend to wait near cover until prey approaches. Their main diet is fish and small birds, but they will also eat crayfish, frogs, muskrats, mice, and other small mammals.
The current state record tiger muskie is a 35 pound, 8 ounce fish 50 inches long caught in Tioughnioga River in Broome County in 1990.
Read more about New York’s fish.
Tiger muskellunge (tiger muskie) Illustration by Duane Raver, Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source link
