26 Şubat 2013 Salı

Mississippi State Fish

Mississippi 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 fish of Mississippi in 1974. The largemouth bass is also the state fish of Georgia and Alabama, the state freshwater fish of Florida, and the state sport fish of Tennessee.

Close-up

STATUS
Official
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
State Fish
Detailed Drawing of Largemouth Bass
State Fish
Largemouth Bass
State Fish
Largemouth Bass Showing Size of Mouth
State Fish
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

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