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 , with maximum recorded lengths of up to and maximum weights of . The IGFA currently recognises a 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.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.
Etymology The northern pike gets its common name from its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike (from the Middle English for 'pointed'). Names such as pike, pickerel, Lakes pike, great northern pike, jackfish, jack, slough shark snake, slimer, slough snake, gator, and hammer handle are used around the globe. Other names incorporating things such as "pointy nose" and "long head" are common as well. The name "Northern" is very popular in the Midwest (in the U.S. Upper Midwest and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba. Numerous other names are or have been in use. Its earlier common name, the luci (now lucy) or luce when fully grown, was used to form its taxonomic name (Esox lucius) and is used in heraldry.
Description
Northern pike are most often olive green, shading from yellow to white along the belly. The flank is marked with short, light bar-like spots and a few to many dark spots on the fins. Sometimes, the fins are reddish. Younger pike have yellow stripes along a green body; later, the stripes divide into light spots and the body turns from green to olive green. The lower half of the gill cover lacks scales, and it has large sensory pores on its head and on the underside of its lower jaw which are part of the lateral line system. Unlike the similar-looking and closely related muskellunge, the northern pike has light markings on a dark body background and fewer than six sensory pores on the underside of each side of the lower jaw.
A hybrid between northern pike and muskellunge is known as a tiger muskellunge (Esox masquinongy × lucius or Esox lucius × masquinongy, depending on the sex of each of the contributing species). In the hybrids, the males are invariably sterile, while females are often fertile, and may back-cross with the parent species. Another form of northern pike, the silver pike, is not a subspecies but rather a mutation that occurs in scattered populations. Silver pike, sometimes called silver muskellunge, lack the rows of spots and appear silver, white, or silvery-blue in color.Craig, John F. ed. Pike: Biology and Exploitation. Chapman & Hall, London. 1996 pp. 1 When ill, silver pike have been known to display a somewhat purplish hue; long illness is also the most common cause of male sterility.
In Italy, the newly identified species Esox cisalpinus ("southern pike") was long thought to be a color variation of the northern pike, but was in 2011 announced to be a species of its own.
Length and weight Northern pike in North America seldom reach the size of their European counterparts; one of the largest specimens known was a specimen from New York. It was caught in Great Sacandaga Lake on 15 September 1940 by Peter Dubuc. Reports of far larger pike have been made, but these are either misidentifications of the pike's larger relative, the muskellunge, or simply have not been properly documented and belong in the realm of legend. Northern Pike are capable of reaching a length of 140 centimeters and a weight of 25 kilograms. The largest Northern Pike on video was caught in the Netherlands, measuring 138 cm in length and over 23 kg in weight.
As northern pike grow longer, they increase in weight, and the relationship between length and weight is not linear. The relationship between total length (L, in inches) and total weight (W, in pounds) for nearly all species of fish can be expressed by an equation of the form
Invariably, b is close to 3.0 for all species, and c is a constant that varies among species. For northern pike, b = 3.096 and c = 0.000180 (c = 7.089 enables one to put length in meters and weight in kilograms).Anderson, R. O. and Neumann, R. M. (1996) "Length, Weight, and Associated Structural Indices", in Fisheries Techniques, 2nd edition, B. E. Murphy and D. W. Willis, eds., American Fisheries Society. The relationship described in this section suggests a northern pike will weigh about , while a northern pike will weigh about .
Age Northern Pike typically live to 10–15 years, but sometimes up to 25 years.Pike Fish. Canal & River Trust, UK
Habitat
Pike are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes and reservoirs, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. They are typical ambush predators; they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods, and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike. They inhabit any water body that contains fish, but suitable places for spawning are also essential. Because of their cannibalistic nature, young pike need places where they can take shelter between plants so they are not eaten. In both cases, rich submerged vegetation is needed. Pike are seldom found in brackish water, except for the Baltic Sea area, here they can be found spending time both in the mouths of rivers and in the open brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. It is normal for pike to return to fresh water after a period in these brackish waters. They seem to prefer water with less turbidity, but that is likely related to their dependence on the presence of vegetation.
Geographic distribution
Esox lucius is found in fresh water throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including Russia, Europe, and North America. It has also been introduced to lakes in Morocco, and is even found in brackish water of the Baltic Sea, but they are confined to the low-salinity water at the surface of the sea, and are seldom seen in brackish water elsewhere..
Europe and Russia Esox lucius is a major predatory fish in European freshwaters. It has significant reach across the continent. It is able to cros the arctic circle in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. In Norway it is present in northern and southern Norway, but not in central Norway. In Sweden and Finland it reaches all areas except some lakes of mountaenous regions according academic and hobbyist sources. The European Commission defines a narrower reach excluding northernmost Lapland and much of western Sweden.Esox lucius, a European Commission database
The reach of Northern pike then continues southwards where it is present on the British Isles aswell as in Central and Eastern Europe, Balkan countries, and parts of Northeastern Spain. It is not found in Portugal, Italy, and most of Spain.
North America Within the United States northern pike populations are found in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, northern Texas, northern New Mexico, northern Arizona and Alaska. Watersheds in which pike are found include the Ohio Valley, the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries, and the Great Lakes Basin. They are also stocked in, or have been introduced to, some western lakes and reservoirs for sport fishing, although some fisheries managers believe this practice often threatens other species of fish such as bass, trout, and salmon, causing government agencies to attempt to exterminate the pike by poisoning lakes, such as Stormy Lake, Alaska. E. lucius is a severe invasive predator in Box Canyon Reservoir on the Pend Oreille River in northeastern Washington.
Northern pike can also be found in Canada. There it is present in rivers and lakes through Quebec,Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, in the northwestern corner of British Columbia as well as Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwestern territories. The species is in some areas considered a valuable commercial sports fish, but other areas consider it a nuisance. It is generally native to Canada but is in very limited areas invasive.Canadian Manuscript Report of , a 2008 report on the then native and invasive distribution.
Behaviour
Aggression The northern pike is a relatively aggressive species, especially with regard to feeding. For example, when food sources are scarce, cannibalism develops, starting around five weeks in a small percentage of populations. This cannibalism occurs when the ratio of predator to prey is two to one. One can expect this because when food is scarce, Northern pike fight for survival, such as turning on smaller pike to feed; this is seen in other species such as tiger salamanders. Usually, pike tend to feed on smaller fish, such as the banded killifish. However, when pike exceed long, they feed on larger fish.
Because of cannibalism when food is short, pike suffer a fairly high young mortality rate. Cannibalism is more prevalent in cool summers, as the upcoming pike have slow growth rates in that season and might not be able to reach a size to deter the larger pike. Cannibalism is likely to arise in low growth and low food conditions. Pike do not discriminate siblings well, so cannibalism between siblings is likely.
Aggression also arises from a need for space. Young pike tend to have their food stolen by larger pike. Pike are aggressive if not given enough space because they are territorial. They use a form of foraging known as ambush foraging. Unlike species such as perch, pike undergo bursts of energy instead of actively chasing down prey. As such, a fair amount of inactive time occurs until they find prey. Hunting efficiency decreases with competition; the larger the pike, the larger the area controlled by that particular pike. An inverse relation to vegetation density and pike size exists, which is due to the possibility of cannibalism from the largest pike. This makes sense, as the smaller pike need more vegetation to avoid being eaten. Large pike do not have this worry and can afford the advantage of a large line of sight. They prefer a tree structure habitat.
There has been at least one instance of a pike attacking a dog.Dan Bross, 'Programmed to eat': Northern pike mauls husky at North Pole gravel pit. Alaska Public Media, 21 October 2022, Retrieved 26 October 2022 Attacks on humans are exceptionally rare but not unheard of. In Summer 2026 a child in Finland had their foot bitten by what was identified as a pike.
Pike are occasionally preyed upon by otters.Mark Cocker, 'The pike was huge, but not huge enough to fight off an otter'. The Guardian, 12 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2022
Physical behavioural traits