Zander.

Where to find it.

Central and eastern Europe to western Asia, including the Caspian and Aral basins; widely introduced in western Europe.

Also known as Pikeperch.

A closer look.

Slender, perch-like body with two separate dorsal fins, the first spiny. Greyish-green back, dark saddle bars and a few prominent fang-like teeth among smaller ones. The large eyes have a reflective layer that gives them their glassy shine.

How it lives.

That reflective layer behind the retina makes zander well suited to low light. They hunt in turbid rivers and lakes, mostly at twilight and at night, often in loose groups.

The next generation.

In spring the male clears a nest on hard ground or among roots, and guards and fans the eggs until they hatch.

Conservation

Not threatened. Introductions into new waters have changed local fish communities.

Least Concern — global IUCN assessment dated 27 May 2022. Regional populations can have a different status. View the Red List record ↗

In the margins.

• Despite the name “pikeperch”, it is a true perch and no relation of the pike.
• Bloch labelled the plate “Perca lucioperca”, the name the species carried before it was moved to the genus Sander.