Florida State Fish
Largemouth Bass (common name) Micropterus salmoides (scientific name) Overview The largemouth bass is highly prized as a sport fish for its size and fighting ability. It lives in clear, quiet, vegetation-rich waters, favoring water shallower than 2.5 meters. Abundant vegetation provides protection against predators and also harbors prey, which the bass ambushes from spots where it lies in wait. This fish was designated the official state freshwater fish of Florida in 2007. The largemouth bass is also the state fish of Georgia and Mississippi, the state freshwater fish of Alabama, and the state sport fish of Tennessee. Close-up STATUS Official State Freshwater Fish PHYSICAL DETAILS Length: Up to 21 inches (53 cm) Weight: Up to 25 pounds (11 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 15 years HABITAT Range: Its native range runs north as far as Hudson Bay, west to the Rockies, and south through Florida and into northern Mexico. Its introduced range includes areas of the U.K., Europe, Russia, the Middle East, North Africa, the western half of the continental U.S., Caribbean territories, South America, Asia, Southeast Asia, Hawaii, Mauritius, Madagascar, Fiji, Guam, New Caledonia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Water type: Freshwater Water temp: 68-72°F Conservation Status: Least Concern DIET Younger largemouth consume mostly small baitfish, amphipods, and insects. Adults consume smaller fish, crawfish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, bats and even small water birds, mammals, and baby alligators. In larger lakes and reservoirs, adult bass occupy deeper water than younger fish and shift to a diet consisting almost entirely of smaller fish like shad, trout, ciscoes, shiners, and sunfish. Prey can be as large as 25 to 35% of the bass' body length. REPRODUCTION Fertilization: External Spawning frequency: Once each year Mating behavior: Distinct pairing Egg laying: Female will lay 2,000–7,000 eggs either in one nest or in several nests. USES Extremely popular sport fish OTHER NAMES Wide mouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucket mouth, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, line sides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth and northern largemouth. TRIVIA Introduced bass affect populations of small native fishes through predation, sometimes resulting in the decline or extinction of such species. Studies have shown that largemouth bass are capable of displacing native species, even predatory species such as northern pike.
	Click to enlarge an image Detailed Drawing of Largemouth Bass Largemouth Bass Largemouth Bass Showing Size of Mouth Juvenile Largemouth Bass CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Centrarchidae Genus: Micropterus Species: M. salmoides
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press

Florida State Fish
Atlantic Sailfish (common name) Istiophorus platypterus(scientific name) Overview The Atlantic sailfish has a tall, distinctive fin resembling a sail, which runs almost the length of its back. Its second dorsal fin is shorter and concave. Another fin on its underside is a mirror image of the second dorsal fin, with a somewhat larger, pointed fin in front of that. Its upper jaw is longer than the lower and ends in a rather sharp point, as on a swordfish. This fish is a deep blue-gray, darkest in the dorsal fin, which is spotted with black. The fish’s belly is silvery white with brown spots. On its sides, it has roughly 20 bars made up of small white dots. Females are usually longer than the males. This is a warm-water ocean fish that will migrate to warmer water in cold weather, possibly to follow its prey. It prefers shallow waters and can sometimes be found near brackish areas. It’s not valued for eating, but is a target for sport fisherman because of its size and its habit of jumping. The Atlantic sailfish became Florida’s official saltwater fish in 1975. Close-up STATUS Official State Saltwater Fish PHYSICAL DETAILS Length: 7–10 ft (2–3 m) Weight: 129–220 lbs (58–100 kg) LIFESPAN Up to 4 years HABITAT Range: Found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. Water type: Warm ocean water Water temp: 70–83°F (21–28°C) Conservation Status: Not evaluated. Numbers are acceptable worldwide, though parasite infections and sport fishing can potentially be threats to sailfish. DIET Squid, octopus, and bony ocean fish including halfbeak, jack, mackerel, needlefish, and tuna. REPRODUCTION Fertilization: External Spawning frequency: Annual Mating behavior: Distinct pairing Egg laying: Near the ocean’s surface USES Extremely popular sport fish OTHER NAMES Billfish, ocean gar, ocean guard, bayonet fish TRIVIA The sailfish’s body often changes to a lighter, somewhat striped blue when it’s agitated, which sometimes helps it confuse and escape predators. Sailfish are fast swimmers, and can swim up to 68 mph (109 kph). The sailfish was first categorized by scientists in 1792. In spite of that, scientists today don’t agree on whether or not Atlantic and Pacific sailfish are separate species. Ernest Hemingway, a well-known American author as well as a sportsman, caught a 9 foot 1 inch (2.7 m) sailfish near Key West in 1934.
	Click to enlarge an image Beautifully Colored Sailfish Sailfish (right) Illustration of Sailfish CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Istiophoridae Genus: Istiophorus Species: I. platypterus
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press