I had an idea awhile back to write an article filled with questions and answers about northern pike. I ultimately decided to break it up into several larger blog posts, so I could answer each question in detail. Of all the things people asked, “Do pike have an anticoagulant on their teeth,” was, by far, the most interesting to me.
Apparently, many fishermen are convinced that northern pike have an anticoagulant on their teeth, either in their saliva (which fish don’t have, to spoil things) or from some sort of bacteria. They swear this is true because they claim that when a pike bites you, the wound takes longer to heal than one would think it should. But is there any actual evidence that this is the case?
Well, in short, I certainly wasn’t able to find any evidence, whatsoever, that pike really have an anticoagulant on their teeth. I scoured the internet for an answer to the question, but was unable to find any scientific backing for the claim. Even when I really dressed things up and searched, “Esocid anticoagulant” I found nothing regarding the fish (though, of interest, there is a medicine of a strikingly similar name with these properties). The nearest thing I could find to an “authority” was this article by Outdoor Canada, but it didn’t provide any source or backing for its claim.
Why Do People Think Pike Have Anticoagulant on Their Teeth?
When a northern pike bites you, the wound bleeds badly and for a long time. It’s no wonder pike get romanticized as being dangerous to humans. There are multiple anglers on various fishing forums who attribute this to an anticoagulant, or bacteria. They often remark that they don’t bleed nearly as badly when a walleye bites them. This despite the fact that walleye also have sharp teeth, at least to the naked eye.
However, on page 18 of in The Freshwater Angler’s Northern Pike and Muskie, you’ll clearly find the actual reason. The teeth of Esocids like northern pike and muskie are significantly sharper than a walleye’s. Indeed, this book has images of both side by side. While I’m not at liberty to reproduce the photo, I can describe them. The Esocid teeth are shaped like razor blades with a sharp cutting edge. In contrast, walleye teeth are round.
Think of it like this. Have you ever cut yourself badly while shaving? Just how long did that take to heal? Likely longer than if you nicked yourself on a sharp piece of plastic, right? This is because the razor blade cut so much cleaner. Northern pike have the same thing going for their teeth.
Other Theories
People also think northern pike make you bleed so much because they have some sort of bacteria on their teeth. They very well may. Still, I wasn’t able to find any scientific research stating such bacteria acted as a coagulant.
A more likely theory is very simple. You’re most likely going to be cut by a pike on a wet hand, right? Well, the water on your hand mixes with the blood and makes it appear worse. Further, the water inhibits your blood from drying and clotting.
Conclusions
While there is no lack of people claiming pike have an anticoagulant, there is a complete lack of scientific evidence to support it. First, fish don’t have saliva. Secondly, I was unable to locate any research pinning bloody pike bites on their bacteria. Instead, the reason why pike bites bleed so much is simple. Pike have razor sharp teeth. It’s not rocket science that getting bit by one is going to hurt and bleed like crazy!
I hope this helps assuage your fears.
Thanks for reading,
John Paxton
