Northern pike
Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758
The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a bony fish in the family Esocidae, order Esociformes. It has a representative body length of 47.5 cm, and the highest value reported by our sources is 1.225 m.
Quick facts about the northern pike
Its lifespan is given as 7 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the northern pike globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- up to 28.4 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 47.5 cm – 1.23 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 7 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- 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
How big is the northern pike?
Photos of the northern pike
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.
Where does the northern pike live?
Not recorded
What is the northern pike?
The northern pike (Esox lucius), also known as jack, northern or simply pike, is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (pikes). It is commonly found in fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (i.e. it has a holarctic distribution).
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). 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. Northern pike grow to larger sizes in Eurasia than in North America, and in coastal Eurasian regions than inland ones.
From the Wikipedia article “Northern pike” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_pike&oldid=1383926620), 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 northern pike endangered?
The northern pike 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. What the categories mean.
How is the northern pike classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderEsociformes
- familyEsocidae
- genusEsox
- SpeciesEsox lucius Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Esox australis, Esox boreus, Esox depraudus, Esox estor, Esox lucioides, Esox lucius, Esox lucius atrox, Esox lucius bergi, Esox lucius lucius, Esox lucius natio wiliunensis, Esox lucius var. atrox, Esox lucius var. variegatus, Esox lucius variegatus, Esox lugubrosus, Esox reichertii baicalensis, Esox reichertii var. baicalensis, Luccius vorax, Lucius lucius, Trematina foveolata
Other names and names in other languages (85)
- American pikeEnglish
- HammerhandleEnglish
- JackEnglish
- JackfishEnglish
- LuceEnglish
- PikeEnglish
- PikeEnglish
- PikeEnglish
- PikeEnglish
- Pond sharkEnglish
- البايك الشماليArabic
- luciuAsturian
- Шчупак звычайныBelarusian
- LuciCatalan
- Lluç de riuCatalan
- Jigǫ́hse:sCayuga
- Štika obecnáCzech
- penhwyadWelsh
- PenhwyaidWelsh
- geddeDanish
- Almindelig geddeDanish
- HechtGerman
- Europäischer HechtGerman
- Gemeiner HechtGerman
- ΤούρναGreek
- lucioSpanish
- Lucio europeoSpanish
- KeggsuliCentral Yupik
- LuqruuyakCentral Yupik
- HaugEstonian
- اردک ماهيPersian
- haukiFinnish
- brochetFrench
- brochet du NordFrench
- grand brochetFrench
- זאב המיםHebrew
- ŠtukaCroatian
- csukaHungarian
- luccioItalian
- Luccio nordicoItalian
- キタカワカマスJapanese
- ノーザンパイクJapanese
- HiechtLuxembourgish
- lydekaLithuanian
- Europinė lydekaLithuanian
- HaugiLatvian
- Parastā līdakaLatvian
- ШтукаMacedonian
- TsikónshesMohawk
- gjeddeNorwegian Bokmål
- snoekDutch
- gjeddeNorwegian Nynorsk
- GinoozheOjibwa
- szczupakPolish
- szczupak pospolityPolish
- LúcioPortuguese
- ŞtiucăRomanian
- știucăRomanian
- жабаRussian
- Щу́каRussian
- глубинкаRussian
- зелёнкаRussian
- зубастаяRussian
- кобылаRussian
- крокодилRussian
- травянкаRussian
- хозяйкаRussian
- щукаRussian
- Обыкновенная щукаRussian
- Щука обыкновеннаяRussian
- hávgaNorthern Sami
- Jigö́hse:sSeneca
- šťuka severnáSlovak
- ščukaSlovenian
- navadna ščukaSlovenian
- gäddaSwedish
- TurnaTurkish
- Bayağı turna balığıTurkish
- Kuzey Turna BalığıTurkish
- turna baligiTurkish
- turna balığıTurkish
- Щука звичайнаUkrainian
- LuzzoVenetian
- 北梭子鱼Chinese
- 白斑狗魚Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the northern pike
Other species in the same genus Esox.
Ski
Esox masquinongy
Pickerel
Esox niger
Grass pickerel
Esox americanus
Amur pike
Esox reichertii
Southern pike
Esox cisalpinus
Aquitaine pike
Esox aquitanicus
CompareNorthern pike vs SkiNorthern pike vs PickerelNorthern pike vs Grass pickerelNorthern pike vs Amur pike
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 northern pike?
The northern pike is a bony fish in the family Esocidae, order Esociformes.
How big is the northern pike?
Its representative body length is 47.5 cm, and the highest value reported by our sources is 1.225 m.
How long does the northern pike live?
The northern pike's lifespan is given as 7 years.
Is the northern pike endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
What is the scientific name of the northern pike and who named it?
Its scientific name is Esox lucius, named by Linnaeus, 1758.
What other names does the northern pike have?
Other English names for the northern pike are Jack, Pike, Luce, Jackfish and Pond shark.
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). Northern pike (Esox lucius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-pike
“Northern pike (Esox lucius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-pike.
@misc{northern_pike_2026,
title = {Northern pike (Esox lucius)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-pike},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}