Nile perch
Lates niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is a bony fish in the family Latidae, order Perciformes. It is also called the African snook or Victoria perch, and its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
Quick facts about the Nile perch
The IUCN Red List global assessment places the Nile perch in the Least Concern (LC) category, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the Nile perch
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the Nile perch live?
Not recorded
What is the Nile perch?
The Nile perch (Lates niloticus), also known as the African snook, Goliath perch, Nile lates, African lates, Goliath lates, Victoria lates, African barramundi, Goliath barramundi, Giant lates or the Victoria perch, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Latidae of the order Carangiformes. It is widespread throughout much of the Afrotropical realm, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana, and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of Lake Maryut in Egypt. The Nile perch is a fish of substantial economic and food-security importance in East Africa. Originally described as Labrus niloticus, among the marine wrasses, the species has also been referred to as Centropomus niloticus. Common names include African snook, Victoria perch (a misleading trade name, as the species is not native to Lake Victoria, though they have been introduced there), and many local names in various African languages, such as the Luo name mbuta or mputa. In Tanzania, it is called sangara, sankara, or chenku. In Francophone African countries, it is known as capitaine. Its name in the Hausa language is giwan ruwa, meaning "water elephant".
From the Wikipedia article “Nile perch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nile_perch&oldid=1383030876), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the Nile perch endangered?
The Nile perch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the Nile perch classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderPerciformes
- familyLatidae
- genusLates
- SpeciesLates niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Centropomus niloticus, Centropomus niloticus, Labrus niloticus, Lates albertianus, Lates niloticus albertianus, Lates niloticus albertianus, Lates niloticus macrolepidota, Lates niloticus macrolepidota, Lates niloticus macrolepidotus, Lates niloticus rudolfianus, Lates nilotus, Lates nilotus rudolfianus, Lates nilotus rudolfianus, Perca latus
Other names and names in other languages (54)
- African snookEnglish
- African snookEnglish
- Victoria perchEnglish
- Victoria perchEnglish
- IglArabic
- ساموسArabic
- قشر البياضArabic
- AigleArabic
- Am'kalArabic
- Am'kaltâyaArabic
- AmukalArabic
- Keshr BayadArabic
- Kishr NiliArabic
- SamoosArabic
- perca del niluAsturian
- Perca del Llac VictòriaCatalan
- lates nilskýCzech
- NilaborreDanish
- NilbarschGerman
- AlbertseebarschGerman
- VictoriabarschGerman
- Victoriasee-BarschGerman
- Perca del NiloSpanish
- NƒεsiEwe
- perche du NilFrench
- נסיכת הנילוסHebrew
- Persico del NiloItalian
- ナイルアカメJapanese
- 나일농어Korean
- mbutaLuo
- NijlbaarsDutch
- NilabborNorwegian
- Perca-do-NiloPortuguese
- Barramundi-do-NiloPortuguese
- Нильский окуньRussian
- NilabborreSwedish
- Ajaroot
- Bangurroot
- Chenguroot
- Diène wekhroot
- Dzoroot
- Dzo (adaŋme (ghana))root
- Giwan ruwaroot
- Giwan ruwanroot
- Igboroot
- Kinaroot
- Leshieroot
- Lesiroot
- Mkomboziroot
- Ndeniroot
- Nganziroot
- Niilinahvenroot
- Sangalaroot
- Sangararoot
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Nile perch
Other species in the same genus Lates.
Barramundi
Lates calcarifer
Tanganyika lates
Lates angustifrons
Sleek lates
Lates stappersii
Japanese lates
Lates japonicus
Forktail lates
Lates microlepis
Bigeye lates
Lates mariae
CompareNile perch vs BarramundiNile perch vs Tanganyika latesNile perch vs Sleek latesNile perch vs Japanese lates
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Nile perch?
The Nile perch is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Latidae in the order Perciformes.
What is the scientific name of the Nile perch?
The scientific name of the Nile perch is Lates niloticus, placed in the genus Lates.
Who named the Nile perch and when?
The scientific name Lates niloticus is attributed to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the Nile perch endangered?
No. The Nile perch is listed as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
What other names does the Nile perch have?
The Nile perch is also called the African snook and the Victoria perch.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Nile perch (Lates niloticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/nile-perch
“Nile perch (Lates niloticus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/nile-perch.
@misc{nile_perch_2026,
title = {Nile perch (Lates niloticus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/nile-perch},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}