They are commonly found in moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (i.e. holarctic in distribution).

[4] Northern pike grow to larger sizes in Eurasia than in North America, and in coastal Eurasian regions than inland ones.

Various other unofficial trivial names are common pike, Lakes pike, great northern pike, great northern, northern (in the U.S. Upper Midwest and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan), jackfish, jack, slough shark, snake, slimer, slough snake, gator (due to a head similar in shape to that of an alligator), hammer handle, and other such names as "long head" or "pointy nose".

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.

[12] 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.

[citation needed] Esox lucius is found in fresh water throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including Russia, Europe, and North America.

[citation needed] Within North America, 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, Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Québec (pike are rare in British Columbia and east coast provinces).

Watersheds in which pike are found include the Ohio Valley, the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries, and the Great Lakes Basin.

[14] E. lucius is a severe invasive predator in Box Canyon Reservoir on the Pend Oreille River in northeastern Washington.

[23] Pike are capable of "fast start" movements, which are sudden high-energy bursts of unsteady swimming.

[19] Pike are physically capable of breeding at an age of about two years, spawning in spring when the water temperature first reaches about 9 °C (48 °F).

[citation needed] The young, free-swimming pike feed on small invertebrates starting with Daphnia, and quickly move on to bigger prey, such as Asellus and Gammarus.

It eats mainly fish and frogs, but also small mammals and birds fall prey to pike.

Pike are known to occasionally hunt and consume larger water birds, such as an incident in 2016 when an individual was observed trying to drown and eat a great crested grebe,[31] an incident in which a pike choked to death after killing and attempting to eat a tufted duck,[32] as well as an incident in 2015 where an attack by a large pike between three and four feet long was implicated as a possible cause for the injury and death of an adult mute swan[33] on Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, but it is generally believed that such attacks are only rare occurrences.

It migrates during a spawning season, and it follows prey fish like common roaches to their deeper winter quarters.

Sometimes, divers observe groups of similar-sized pike that cooperate some to start hunting at the same time, so "wolfpack" theories are given.

Pike are often found near the exit of culverts, which can be attributed to the presence of schools of prey fish and the opportunity for ambush.

Being potamodromous, all esocids tend to display limited migration, although some local movement may be of key significance for population dynamics.

Although it is generally known as a "sporting" quarry, some anglers release pike they have caught because the flesh is considered bony, especially due to the substantial (epipleural) "Y-bones".

The white and mild-tasting flesh of pikes nonetheless has a long and distinguished history in cuisine and is popular fare in Europe and parts of North America.

Because of their prolific and predatory nature, laws have been enacted in some places to help stop the spread of northern pike outside of their native range.

For the hot summer and during inactive phases, the larger female pike tend to retire to deeper water and/or places with better cover.

Handling those fish with dry hands can easily damage their mucus-covered skin and possibly lead to their deaths from infections.

In Finland, catching a kymppihauki, a pike weighing at least 10 kg (22 lb), is considered the qualification as a master fisherman.

Compared to other fish like the eel, the pike does not have a good sense of smell[citation needed], but it is still more than adequate to find the baitfish.

Pike make use of the lateral line system to follow the vortices produced by the perceived prey, and the whirling movement of the spinner is probably a good way to imitate or exaggerate these.

Jerkbaits are also effective and can produce spectacular bites with pike attacking these erratic-moving lures at full speed.

Spoons with mirror finishes are very effective when the sun is at a sharp angle to the water in the mornings or evenings because they generate the vibrations previously discussed and cause a glint of reflective sunlight that mimics the flash of white-bellied prey.

[39] In the Finnish epic poetry Kalevala, wise demigod Väinämöinen creates a magical kantele (string instrument) from the jawbone of a giant pike.