Pike (Esox lucius) is a large freshwater species with a wide distribution in Eurasia and North America that has been exploited since prehistoric times as is shown by the skeletal remains found on numerous archaeological sites. The role the species played in the subsistence of inland human settlements can be documented by its proportion within the spectrum of exploited fish and by reconstructing the body lengths of the pike and the amount of meat they represent. Osteometrical data in the literature allow size and, sometimes, meat weight reconstructions on the basis of the measurements of isolated cranial bones, but little attention has been paid thus far to the use of vertebrae for such reconstructions. Using a series of 27 dry skeletons of modern pike, here, we provide regression equations that allow an accurate estimation of the body length and weight of the fish on the basis of each of the first five vertebrae. Analysis of the size variation of the height, width and length of all the vertebral centra along the vertebral column, through the construction of the so-called Global Rachidian Profile, showed that only the length measurements can be of potential use for a rather crude estimation of body length. Finally, a case study is provided, using a large assemblage of Early Neolithic pike vertebrae, to show the potential of the new osteometrical data.

派克（Esox lucius）是一种大型的淡水物种，在欧亚大陆和北美具有广泛的分布，自史前时期以来就已被开发利用，正如在许多考古遗址中发现的骨骼遗骸所表明的那样。该物种在已开发鱼群中所占的比例，以及通过重建梭鱼的体长和所代表的肉类数量，可以证明该物种在内陆人类住区生存中所起的作用。文献中的骨测量数据允许基于孤立的颅骨的测量结果来进行尺寸重建，有时还可以重建肉重，但是到目前为止，很少有人关注将椎骨用于这种重建。在这里，使用了一系列27种现代派克干骨骼，我们提供了回归方程，可以根据前五个椎骨中的每一个准确估算鱼的体长和体重。通过构建所谓的“全球拉奇丁剖面”，分析沿椎骨柱的所有椎骨中央的高度，宽度和长度的大小变化，结果表明，只有长度测量值才可能潜在地用于相当粗略的估算体长。最后，提供了一个案例研究，其中使用了大量的新石器时代早期梭子鱼椎骨，以显示新的骨测量学数据的潜力。结果表明，只有长度测量才可以潜在地粗略估算身体的长度。最后，提供了一个案例研究，其中使用了大量的新石器时代早期梭子鱼椎骨，以显示新的骨测量学数据的潜力。结果表明，只有长度测量才可以潜在地粗略估算身体长度。最后，提供了一个案例研究，其中使用了大量的新石器时代早期梭子鱼椎骨，以显示新的骨测量学数据的潜力。