Species learning profile
Walleye
Sander vitreus
Walleye (Sander vitreus) is a freshwater fish associated with lake habitat in North America. A reflective layer in its eyes helps it hunt in dim water.
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Previously featured in Fishdle
At a glance
- Water
- Fresh water
- Habitat
- Lake
- Maximum length
- 107 cm
- Range
- North America
- Family
- Percidae
- Order
- Perciformes
Observe
How to identify Walleye
- Olive-gold with dark saddle marks and glassy white eyes.
- Long and slender with two separate dorsal fins and a large toothed mouth.
- Reported maximum length: 107 cm — capable of growing longer than many people are tall. Maximum is not the same as typical adult size.
Field note: color, size, and markings can change with age, sex, season, depth, and lighting. Use several traits together.
Place and pattern
Where it lives—and how it behaves
Habitat and range
This species is associated with lake habitat across North America. Temperature, oxygen, depth, and shoreline cover divide a lake into very different living zones.
Behavior
Uses lake habitat for feeding, shelter, migration, or reproduction.
Food-web connections
What it eats and why it matters
Diet
A species-specific mix of plant material, plankton, invertebrates, or other fish.
Ecological role
It links one or more lake zones, carrying energy between bottom, shoreline, and open-water communities..
Remember
One fact worth keeping
A reflective layer in its eyes helps it hunt in dim water.
Think like a conservationist
A conservation lens
Healthy lake populations depend on suitable temperature and oxygen, clean spawning areas, and balanced harvest and food webs.
This habitat lens is not a current population-status assessment. Status can differ among regions and change as new assessments are published; follow the reference links and local fisheries or wildlife agencies for current decisions.
Recall
Quick knowledge check
Which habitat is most closely associated with Walleye in this guide?
Keep exploring
References and further reading
Fishdle summarizes stable identification and ecology concepts in plain language. Taxonomy and population knowledge continue to change, so use primary assessments and regional authorities for conservation or management decisions.
Make connections