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594 Featured Specimen
European perch

Details

European perch

Perca fluviatilis

Size
15–60 cm · 0.1–4.7 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Loose group
Lifespan

A widespread freshwater perch of Europe and northern Asia, marked by greenish sides, dark vertical bars, and reddish fins.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
PalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasianAustralasian

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

Lives in lakes, ponds, slow rivers, and brackish waters, often near vegetation, logs, or rocks. It has established in some introduced regions.

Appearance

The body is deep and laterally compressed. Dark bars cross the yellow-green sides, and the pelvic and anal fins are orange to red.

Behavior

Young fish school, while larger adults become more solitary. They hunt around structure during daylight.

Feeding

It eats small crustaceans, aquatic insects, and fish. Larger perch become increasingly predatory.

Reproduction

In spring, females lay ribbon-like egg strands over plants or branches. The gelatinous strands protect the eggs.

Notes

It is a popular sport fish. Introduced populations can increase predation pressure on native small fishes.