The largemouth bass, an olive-green freshwater fish with a dark, jagged stripe along each side, native to the eastern and central US, south-eastern Canada and northern Mexico. It is the largest black bass and a prized sport fish, and has been released in many other countries.
Quick answers
What is it?Fish
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
An important food fish around the world, and a hugely popular sport fish in the US.
At a glance
Found inNorth America, Rivers, Asia, Africa, Europe, Central America
HabitatRivers & lakes
ColoursGreen, Silver, Black
SizeMedium
LengthUp to 75 cm (record)
WeightUp to 11.4 kg (unofficial record)
LegsNone
Covered inScales
Lives alone
Lives for10–16 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Native to the eastern and central US, south-eastern Canada and northern Mexico. Introduced widely, including Japan, Namibia, Cuba, Guatemala and the Iberian Peninsula.
- What it eats
- Young bass eat small fish, water fleas, shrimp and insects; adults eat mostly fish, plus crayfish, frogs, snakes and salamanders. Prey can be half its own length.
Did you know
Anglers prize its fight so much it has been released worldwide, where it often becomes invasive.
It has been blamed for the extinction of the Atitlán grebe, a waterbird of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.
The male guards the nest until the eggs hatch.
Often confused with
On these lists
Sources
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
