Esociformes is a small order of ray-finned fish, with two families, the Umbridae (mudminnows) and the Esocidae (pikes). The pikes of genus Esox give the order its name. There are ten species--five in each family.

This order is closely related to the Salmoniformes, the two comprising the superorder Protacanthopterygii, and are often included in their order. The esociform fishes first appeared in the mid-Cretaceous -- early products of the Euteleost radiation of that time. Today they are found only in fresh water in North America and the northern Eurasian regions.

Pikes