Largemouth bass

Micropterus salmoides

Largemouth bass. Photo:Duane Raver, USFWS

The largemouth bass resembles closely the smallmouth bass; the most obvious difference is that the mouth of the largemouth bass extends beyond the eye, while that of the smallmouth bass extends to just below the eye. The two species often inhabit the same lakes, although the preferred habitat of the largemouth bass is quite different from that of the smallmouth. While smallmouth inhabit deeper, colder rocky habitats, the largemouth lives in weedy, stumpy and shallow habitats. Like other species from the centrarchid family, male largemouth bass build nests and protect the young bass until they leave the nest. Largemouth bass are unique in that they can be highly cannibalistic; largemouth bass larger than 2 inches are known to commonly feed on the young of their own species.