The Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides), also known as the widemouth bass, bigmouth bass, black bass, bucketmouth, largies, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, bucketmouth bass, green trout, gilsdorf bass, Oswego bass, southern largemouth, LMB, and (paradoxically) northern largemouth, is a carnivorous freshwater sports fish in the sunfish family Centracrchidae, a species of black bass native to the eastern and southern United States and northern Mexico, but widely introduced elsewhere. The largemouth bass is the state fish of Georgia and Mississippi, and the state freshwater fish of Florida and Alabama.
The largemouth is an olive green fish, marked by a series of dark, sometimes black, blotches forming a jagged horizontal stripe along each flank. The upper jaw (maxilla) of a largemouth bass extends beyond the rear margin of the orbit. In comparison to age, a female bass is larger than a male. The largemouth is the largest of the black basses, reaching a maximum recorded overall length of 29.5 in/75 cm and a maximum unofficial weight of 25 pounds 1 ounce (11.4 kg). The fish lives 16 years on average.
Largemouth are preyed upon by many animals including, herons, eagles, ospreys, river otters, alligators and more. Bass hide and protect themselves by swimming close to logs, and under lily pads. Due to their size and speed, they are able to escape possible predators.