Largemouth Bass

Mississippi State Fish

largemouthbassfishart1.jpg

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass sketch by Duane Raver / USFWS Digital Library (public domain image).

Largemouth Bass

Mississippi designated the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) as the official state fish in 1974. This black bass (an elongated sunfish) lives in quiet, vegetation-rich waters.

Adult largemouth bass are active predators in the aquatic ecosystem, feeding on other fish and large invertebrates (such as crayfish). Large bass will also prey upon smaller bass. Largemouth bass can reach a length of more than twenty inches and weigh more than fifteen pounds. The largemouth bass is also a state symbol in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia.

Mississippi

Images

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides); photo by Clinton & Charles Robertson on Flickr (use permitted with attribution).

Largemouth bass

Largemouth bass; photo © Brian Jorg / CritterZone: Animal - Wildlife - Nature Stock Photography (all rights reserved; used by permission).

Largemouth bass

Videos

underwater video of largemouth bass nesting and guarding eggs and fry