Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus in chain pickerel, Esox niger: Adaptations for manipulation and consumption of large live prey

This research examines the features of the oral jaws in chain pickerel that allows them to perform their unique and paradoxical method of processing large, live prey.  An emphasis is placed on describing musculoskeletal morphology, and quantification of muscle architecture in the adductor mandible complex, which is responsible for jaw closure.