Snotty pike: some are scared by such a catch. "oplivoy"? (8 photos)

Have you ever wondered why fish are such slippery creatures? Firstly, they are always silent, obviously hiding something. Secondly, they are constantly trying to eat the bait and not get caught on the hook. And thirdly, they are covered in some kind of snot! What do they need this mucus on their bodies for?





Autumn has come, half the country is walking around with snot.

It turns out, for a huge number of tasks. For ruff, pike, roach, bream, catfish and many other inhabitants of our (and not only) reservoirs, the mucous membrane has the functionality of a pepper spray, a medical mask, a wetsuit and even a means of seduction! But first things first.



That same slippery type who gets out of the most dangerous situations.

How can mucus work for self-defense? Most underwater predators are the same fish. This means that instead of thoroughly chewing, the victim risks being swallowed alive. In this difficult situation, a large amount of mucus helps. A snotty haze clogs the gills, and the unlucky enemy begins to choke. As soon as he opens his gills wider for ventilation, the slimy victim squeezes through the crack to freedom.





That same granny who squeezes into the doctor's office without waiting in line, because she "just wants to ask"!

Slime can protect not only from big enemies, but also from invisible ones. After all, these transparent snots contain so-called microbial peptides, the enzyme lysozyme and other substances that prevent the fish from catching a microbial disease during their next swim on their underwater business. African catfish have such miraculous snot that scientists want to make antibiotics out of them! In experiments, even a small dose of mucus easily dealt with E. coli.



Nothing unusual, just an antimicrobial party.



Look at my cool antiseptic! It sparkles in the sun and doesn't smell like alcohol!

By the way, about swimming. Mucus helps in them too! After all, if your scales are covered with slippery grease, it's much easier for you to move in the water! Moreover, the faster the fish paddles with its flippers, the more effective the snotty coating becomes. The fish can ignore almost two-thirds of the resistance thanks to the mucus.



Being slimy is especially cool when you're a bottom fish and constantly rub your belly against the bottom.

Sometimes you need to spread a very transparent hint to your neighbors, and slime helps with this again! For example, pikes start to run a lot of snot during the breeding season. Not from an excess of feelings, but from an excess of hormones. Together with the slime, hormones spread through rivers and lakes, and scream that the fish is ready for a romantic relationship.



Why doesn't he understand my hints? I smell like all the right hormones...

And finally, the last important function of mucus in fish is to annoy those who caught them and are going to clean them! Because taking revenge on a fisherman after your death is stylish!

To sum it up, there is nothing wrong with a "snotty" fish. But if there is too much mucus and it is unusually viscous, sticky and cloudy, then this may be a marker that the fish is sick (if alive) or has spoiled (if bought in a store).



Emelya, come another time, I have a runny nose and a headache!