Do Pike have anticoagulant in their saliva?

[Peter Waller]

Waterman:

What, no childish gags about mastication? Come on!

#

 

Hadn't even crossed my sweet & innocent mind, until nnnnnnnnnnnnnnow .

 

Why, whats mastication? I thought it was how us old times had to wind up our 'auto wind' wrist watches in the days before batteries.

 

[ 29 April 2002, 07:45 PM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]

[Adam S]

HELLO

 

well i have no evidence to support it but personally i think they do,i have gotten sililar sized cuts from pike,perch,bass,spur dogs and carp (gill covers) and only the pike wounds bleed in a prolonged way, i cant find any research papers on the subject but im sure there must be some.it certainly wouldnt seem unresonable to suggest that they do, but then again we see a lot of live fish with big pike scars,so hmmm.

id love to know for sure.

 

ADAM

[phonebush]

I know it is present in fishes.

Catfish gots it in their fins.

Phone

[Ron Clay]

There is no doubt that pike slime causes you to bleed prolifically.

 

Some years ago I caught a 20 pounder from Hornsea Mere in East Yorks. As I held it up for a photo my friend said that it must have been badly hooked as it was bleeding like mad. When we checked we found it was not the pike's blood but mine.

 

All fish slime seems to have some sort of disinfectant effect. If you cut your finger, it might be an idea to put a blob of fresh fish slime on the cut. Maybe that's how the tench became known as the "Doctor Fish"?

[chevin]

Originally posted by Ron Clay:

[QB]There is no doubt that pike slime causes you to bleed prolifically.

 

Yeah, I would go along with that too. Generally if I cut my self, the bleeding stops quite quickly and the blood over the wound congeals. Not so with a pike, the bleeding can take a long time to stop, no matter what you do to try and stop it. Leaches are even worse, I have had small leaches attach them selves too me but I was unaware of them until I have noticed puddles of blood at my feet! It does make sense though doesn't it. Predatory creatures gain nothing from injuring prey and having it escape. If blood continues to flow, they they have a scent to follow.

[Chris Plumb]

Being a sceptic I was hoping we'd come up with some 'concrete evidence' on this one. Plenty more enecdotal stuff which seems to support the hypothesis that predator fish have some sort of anticoagulant - but search as I might I still can't find any scientific evidence to support these suppositions.

 

Doesn't anyone KNOW for sure either way?? Sounds like it might make a good project for some undergrad....

 

Chris