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 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