Zander is a species of fish . The scientific name is Sander lucioperca (or Stizostedion lucioperca ), and it is closely allied to perch .
Zander are often called pike-perch as they resemble the pike with their elongated body and head, and the perch with their spiny dorsal fin.
Mainly found on the East Anglia, River Severn and Warwickshire Avon, Trent and Gloucester Sharpness Canal.They are continually finding there way into other waters as time goes on. Zander thrives in water with rather low visibility, whereas the pike often dominates the predator fish niche in clear water: pikes use their vision to find prey, while zanders "listen" to the water, and are very active at night. However, they need plenty of oxygen and soon disappear from eutrophic areas.
Zander are not, as is commonly believed, a pike and perch hybrid. In Europe, a second species ( Lucioperca wolgensis ) is limited to rivers in southern Russia and Hungary. |