Northern pike

This article is about the fish. For the Canadian band, see The Northern Pikes.

Northern pike
Northern pike at Plzeň Zoo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Esociformes
Family: Esocidae
Genus: Esox
Species:
E. lucius
Binomial name
Esox lucius
Range of northern pike as traditionally defined (including populations now often regarded as separate species: Amur, Aquitanian, and southern pikes)

The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (pikes). They are commonly found in moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (i.e. holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a pike (PL: pike) in Great Britain, Ireland, most of Eastern Europe, Canada and the U.S., although in the Midwest, they may be called a Northern.[2]

Pike can grow to a relatively large size. Their average length is about 40–55 cm (16–22 in), with maximum recorded lengths of up to 150 cm (59 in) and maximum weights of 28.4 kg (63 lb).[3] The IGFA currently recognises a 25 kg (55 lb) pike caught by Lothar Louis on Greffern Lake, Germany, on 16 October 1986, as the all-tackle world-record holding northern pike. [4] Northern pike grow to larger sizes in Eurasia than in North America, and in coastal Eurasian regions than inland ones.[5]

  1. ^ NatureServe (2013) [errata version of 2018 assessment]. "Esox lucius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T135631A133427422. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T135631A133427422.en. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  2. ^ Loesche, Max (27 August 2022). "Different Names for Northern Pike (From Around the World)". Strike and Catch. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758 Northern pike". Fish Base. fishbase.org. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  4. ^ "pike, northern (Esox lucius)". IGFA World Record. IGFA Online. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  5. ^ Rypel, A.L. 2012. Meta-analysis of growth rates for a circumpolar fish, the northern pike (Esox lucius), with emphasis on effects of continent, climate and latitude. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 21: 521-532.