Bony fish · Perciformes · Centrarchidae

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is one of the most popular sport fish in North America, with the male taking on all the parental care of the eggs and young.

Weight

up to 10 kg

Size

up to 97 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterCarnivore Diurnal Solitary Fish Freshwater

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Fun facts

The male builds the nest, fertilises the eggs and guards them aggressively for weeks, going without food for much of that time.
It eats small fish, crayfish, frogs and aquatic insects.
It lives in lakes, ponds, swamps and slow-flowing rivers of North America.
ecologíaIt has been introduced to many ecosystems outside North America, where it has sometimes markedly altered native fish communities.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - bony skeleton (fish)
Habitat & environment: Lakes, ponds, swamps and slow-flowing rivers of North America; widely introduced worldwide
Birth weight: A tiny, transparent larva on hatching
Sexual maturity: 2-3 years
Gestation / incubation: 3-6 days of egg development
Litter / clutch size: 2,000 to 100,000 eggs per female

Sources consulted: Illinois DNR; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; FishBase; Lake Life Fishing; Chesapeake Bay Program; Outdoor Doer; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Texas 4-H Study Guide