Northern pike: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the northern pike lives – recorded in 17 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Esox lucius
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	17 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Length	0.47 m
Lifespan	7 years
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Esociformes
Family	Esocidae

Where does the northern pike live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the northern pike in 17 countries and territories across Europe and North America. In Canada, Italy it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a northern pike?

Wikidata records the following for the northern pike: length 0.47 m.

How long does a northern pike live?

Wikidata records a life expectancy of 7 years for the northern pike.

Is the northern pike endangered?

The northern pike’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the northern pike?

The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a ray-finned fish in the order Esociformes and the family Esocidae, genus Esox. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About 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.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Northern pike (revision 1380768522), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q165278 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).