Largemouth bass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Largemouth bass |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Centrarchidae |
| Genus: | Micropterus |
| Species: |
M. nigricans
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| Binomial name | |
| Micropterus nigricans (Cuvier, 1828)
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| Synonyms | |
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The largemouth bass (scientific name: Micropterus nigricans) is a popular freshwater fish. It belongs to the sunfish family. You can find it in the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico. People call it by many names, like "bigmouth bass" or "green bass."
A French scientist named Georges Cuvier first described this fish in 1828. Recent studies in 2022 clarified its scientific name. The largemouth bass is now officially Micropterus nigricans. Its cousin, the Florida bass, is Micropterus salmoides. This fish is the biggest type of "black bass." It can grow up to about 75 centimeters (29.5 inches) long. The heaviest one ever caught unofficially weighed over 11 kilograms (25 pounds).
The largemouth bass is important in several U.S. states. It is the state fish of Georgia and Mississippi. It is also the state freshwater fish of Florida and Alabama. Many people love to catch them for sport. They are known for putting up a strong fight when hooked! Because they are so popular, they have been moved to many new places. They can even live in city streams. But sometimes, they become an invasive species. This means they can harm local fish by eating them or competing for food.
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What's in a Name?
Scientists give every living thing a special two-part name. This helps everyone around the world know exactly which animal they are talking about. This is called taxonomy.
The largemouth bass got its first scientific description in 1802. A French scientist named Bernard Germain de Lacépède called it Labrus salmoides. He based his description on a drawing of a fish from the Carolinas.
However, more recent studies in 2022 looked closely at these names. They found that Lacépède's name actually fit the Florida bass better. So, the correct scientific name for the largemouth bass became Micropterus nigricans. This name was given by Georges Cuvier in 1828. His description was based on a fish found in Lake Huron.
How to Spot a Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass has a cool look! It is usually olive green or greenish-gray. It has dark, sometimes black, blotches on its sides. These blotches form a zig-zag stripe along its body. A key feature is its large mouth. Its upper jaw goes past its eye.
This fish is the biggest kind of "black bass." It can grow up to about 75 centimeters (29.5 inches) long. The heaviest one ever caught unofficially weighed over 11 kilograms (25 pounds). Female bass are usually bigger than males.
Largemouth bass like to live in places with lots of water plants. They usually stay in a small area of a lake. In the wild, they can live for 10 to 16 years.
What Do Largemouth Bass Eat?
Young largemouth bass eat tiny creatures. Their diet includes small fish, water fleas, and insects. As they grow, their menu expands.
Adult bass are skilled hunters. They eat smaller fish like bluegill and minnows. They also enjoy shad, worms, snails, and crawfish. Sometimes, they even catch frogs, snakes, and salamanders! In big lakes, older bass prefer deeper water. They mostly eat other fish there. This includes yellow perch and various sunfish. They can even eat young catfish or trout.
Largemouth bass are smart predators. They use their senses of hearing, sight, and smell to find food. They often hide under banks, brush, or water plants. This helps them ambush their prey.
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When they are young, many animals hunt largemouth bass. These include great blue herons, bigger bass, and northern pike. Even bald eagles hunt both young and adult bass.
In places like the Great Lakes region, largemouth bass help control invasive species. They have been seen eating the round goby. This might help the local ecosystem. However, it is against the law to use live round gobies as bait in the Great Lakes.
Life Cycle: How Bass Reproduce
Largemouth bass are ready to have babies when they are about one year old. This process is called spawning. It happens in the spring. The water needs to stay warmer than 15°C (60°F) for a while. In the northern areas, this is from late April to early July. In the warmer southern states, it can start in March and finish by June.
The male bass builds a nest. He uses his tail to clear away debris from the bottom. These nests are usually twice his body length. Bass like sandy or gravelly spots for their nests. They also look for cover like roots or plants.
Once the nest is ready, the male finds a female. They swim together over the nest. The female releases her eggs, and the male releases his sperm. This creates new baby bass. Bass often spawn more than once each spring.
The male bass then guards the nest. The eggs hatch in about two to four days in warmer areas. It takes a bit longer in colder places. The male stays with the baby bass for about two more weeks. He protects them until they can swim on their own. After this, the family focuses on finding food for the summer.
Angling: Fishing for Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are very popular with anglers. People love catching them because they put up an exciting "fight." This means the fish struggles hard when hooked. They often jump out of the water to try and get free!
Anglers use many types of fishing lures. These include spinnerbaits, plastic worms, and crankbaits. Live bait like worms and minnows also work well. Some anglers use large swimbaits to catch really big bass. These big bass sometimes eat young rainbow trout.
Fly fishing for largemouth bass is less common. But it can be done with special lures that look like worms or insects. Other live baits, such as frogs or crawfish, can also be effective. Large golden shiners are popular for catching trophy bass. This is especially true when bass are slow in hot summers or cold winters.
Largemouth bass often hang out in weedy areas. They also like other shallow water cover. These fish are very tough. They can live in many different climates and water conditions. They are one of the most adaptable freshwater fish in the world.
The world record for largemouth bass is shared. Manabu Kurita and George W. Perry hold this record. Kurita caught his bass in Japan in 2009. It weighed 10.12 kilograms (22 pounds, 5 ounces). Perry caught his in Georgia in 1932. It weighed 10.09 kilograms (22 pounds, 4 ounces). The record is shared because a new record must be at least 2 ounces heavier.
Invasive Species: When Bass Cause Problems
The largemouth bass has been moved to many new places. This is because it is a popular sport fish. It can also live in city environments. But in some new habitats, it becomes an invasive species.
As an invasive species, it can harm local fish. It might eat them or compete for their food. This can cause native species to decline or even disappear. For example, this has happened in Namibia. They are also a concern in New Brunswick, Canada. They are on a watch list in many northern U.S. and Canadian areas.
In colder waters, these fish can be dangerous to young native fish. This includes baby salmon and trout. They have also been linked to the extinction of the Atitlán grebe. This was a large waterbird in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.
Studies show that young largemouth bass can change their eating habits. This helps them survive in new places. This ability makes them very successful as an invasive species. In Japan, the introduction of bass has caused problems. It has led to sharp decreases in native fish populations since 1996.
Protecting Largemouth Bass
Scientists study largemouth bass to understand them better. They want to know how fishing affects bass populations. One study looked at bass in areas with a lot of fishing. It found that fishing had a big effect on the fish's bodies.
Bass from protected areas reacted more strongly to stress. They also had more energy for growth and reproduction. This suggests that too much fishing can make bass less healthy. Another study found that stress in mother bass affected their babies. The babies were less able to handle stress from fishing.
These studies help us understand how to protect largemouth bass. They show that repeated stress can lead to weaker bass populations. This information helps people manage fishing rules. It ensures that bass populations stay healthy for the future.
See also
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