Common Name: Large mouth bass
o Scientific Name: Micropterus salmoides
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order- Perciformes
Size- They can grow over two feet long and weigh up to 20 pounds, although this is rare.
o Lifespan: It lives up to 16 years on average
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period - Once the nest is built, the female will arrive and lay between 2,000 and 40,000 eggs. It will watch over it for about a week
o Food: The juvenile largemouth bass consumes mostly small bait fish, scuds, small shrimp, and insects. Adults consume smaller fish (bluegill, banded killifish), snails, crawfish (crayfish), frogs, snakes, salamanders, bats and even small water birds, mammals, and baby alligators.[13] In larger lakes and reservoirs, adult bass occupy deeper water than younger fish, and shift to a diet consisting almost entirely of smaller fish like shad, yellow perch, ciscoes, shiners, and sunfish. It also consumes younger members of larger fish species, such as pike, catfish, trout, walleye, white bass, striped bass, and even smaller black bass.
o Predators: Because, of the large size of adult Largemouth Bass, they have few predators . When young, largemouths are preyed upon by birds
o Location found (where you found/would find it): The largemouth bass can be found in almost every country as its popularity as a sport fish has gotten in introduced in many environment.
Effect on environment - Largemouths are predators to many fish and kill organisms
o Scientific Name: Micropterus salmoides
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order- Perciformes
Size- They can grow over two feet long and weigh up to 20 pounds, although this is rare.
o Lifespan: It lives up to 16 years on average
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period - Once the nest is built, the female will arrive and lay between 2,000 and 40,000 eggs. It will watch over it for about a week
o Food: The juvenile largemouth bass consumes mostly small bait fish, scuds, small shrimp, and insects. Adults consume smaller fish (bluegill, banded killifish), snails, crawfish (crayfish), frogs, snakes, salamanders, bats and even small water birds, mammals, and baby alligators.[13] In larger lakes and reservoirs, adult bass occupy deeper water than younger fish, and shift to a diet consisting almost entirely of smaller fish like shad, yellow perch, ciscoes, shiners, and sunfish. It also consumes younger members of larger fish species, such as pike, catfish, trout, walleye, white bass, striped bass, and even smaller black bass.
o Predators: Because, of the large size of adult Largemouth Bass, they have few predators . When young, largemouths are preyed upon by birds
o Location found (where you found/would find it): The largemouth bass can be found in almost every country as its popularity as a sport fish has gotten in introduced in many environment.
Effect on environment - Largemouths are predators to many fish and kill organisms
Common Name: Smallmouth Bass
o Scientific Name: Micropterus dolomieu
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
o Size: Up to 27 inches and 12 pounds
o Lifespan: Can live up to 16 years
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period
o Food: they often like little fish Carnivorous, its diet comprises crayfish, insects, and smaller fish; the young also feeding on zooplankton.
o Predators: Small birds and larger fish
o Location found (where you found/would find it): The smallmouth bass is found in clearer water than the largemouth, especially streams, rivers, and the rocky areas and stumps and also sandy bottoms of lakes and reservoirs. The smallmouth prefers cooler water temperatures than its cousin the Largemouth bass, and may be found in both still and moving water.
Effects- Has had a large impact on salmon populations
o Scientific Name: Micropterus dolomieu
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
o Size: Up to 27 inches and 12 pounds
o Lifespan: Can live up to 16 years
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period
o Food: they often like little fish Carnivorous, its diet comprises crayfish, insects, and smaller fish; the young also feeding on zooplankton.
o Predators: Small birds and larger fish
o Location found (where you found/would find it): The smallmouth bass is found in clearer water than the largemouth, especially streams, rivers, and the rocky areas and stumps and also sandy bottoms of lakes and reservoirs. The smallmouth prefers cooler water temperatures than its cousin the Largemouth bass, and may be found in both still and moving water.
Effects- Has had a large impact on salmon populations
o Common Name: Bluegill
o Scientific Name: Lepomis macrochirus
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
Size: Ranges in size from four to twelve inches
o Lifespan: Live to be about 5 to 8 years old
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period:
The size of the female plays a large role in how many eggs will be produced. A small female can produce as few as 1,000 eggs, and a large, healthy female can produce up to 100,000 eggs.
o Food: They prefer water with many aquatic plants, and hide within fallen logs or water weeds. They can often be found around weed beds, where they search for food or spawn. In the summer, adults move to deep, open water where they suspend just below the surface and feed on plankton and other aquatic creatures.
o Predators: In turn, bluegill are prey to many larger species, including largemouth bass, muskellunge, turtles, northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, catfish, and even larger bluegill. Herons and otters have also been witnessed
o Location found (where you found/would find it):Bluegill live in the shallow waters of many lakes and ponds, along with slow-moving areas of streams and small rivers. They prefer water with many aquatic plants, and hide within fallen logs or water weeds.
o Scientific Name: Lepomis macrochirus
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
Size: Ranges in size from four to twelve inches
o Lifespan: Live to be about 5 to 8 years old
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period:
The size of the female plays a large role in how many eggs will be produced. A small female can produce as few as 1,000 eggs, and a large, healthy female can produce up to 100,000 eggs.
o Food: They prefer water with many aquatic plants, and hide within fallen logs or water weeds. They can often be found around weed beds, where they search for food or spawn. In the summer, adults move to deep, open water where they suspend just below the surface and feed on plankton and other aquatic creatures.
o Predators: In turn, bluegill are prey to many larger species, including largemouth bass, muskellunge, turtles, northern pike, yellow perch, walleye, catfish, and even larger bluegill. Herons and otters have also been witnessed
o Location found (where you found/would find it):Bluegill live in the shallow waters of many lakes and ponds, along with slow-moving areas of streams and small rivers. They prefer water with many aquatic plants, and hide within fallen logs or water weeds.
o Common Name: Spotted Bass
o Scientific Name: Micropterus punctulatus
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
o Size: can reach an overall length of almost 64 cm (25 in), reaching weights of up to 4.6 kg (10 lb)
can reach an overall length of almost 64 cm.
o Lifespan: It can reach an age of at least seven years.
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period - lasts a week & up to
o Food: Carnivorous, feeding on crayfish, fish, and immature aquatic insects. Bass often catch their prey by ambushing from a place of hiding. Suction created when the rather large mouth is suddenly opened helps them capture prey.
o Predators: Larger fish
o Location found (where you found/would find it): They prefer small to medium streams and rivers with clear, slow-moving water, and gravel or rock bottoms. Seldom found in natural lakes, and they do not enter brackish water.
o Scientific Name: Micropterus punctulatus
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
o Size: can reach an overall length of almost 64 cm (25 in), reaching weights of up to 4.6 kg (10 lb)
can reach an overall length of almost 64 cm.
o Lifespan: It can reach an age of at least seven years.
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period - lasts a week & up to
o Food: Carnivorous, feeding on crayfish, fish, and immature aquatic insects. Bass often catch their prey by ambushing from a place of hiding. Suction created when the rather large mouth is suddenly opened helps them capture prey.
o Predators: Larger fish
o Location found (where you found/would find it): They prefer small to medium streams and rivers with clear, slow-moving water, and gravel or rock bottoms. Seldom found in natural lakes, and they do not enter brackish water.
Common Name: Black Crappie
o Scientific Name: Pomoxis nigromaculatus
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
o Size: Usually about 4-6 inches long and can be up to 5 pounds (world record)
o Lifespan: The oldest recorded age of a specimen is fifteen years, although seven years is a more typical life span for the species.
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period: Female crappies produce an average of 40,000 spherical eggs, the number depending on their age and size. After spawning, the male watches over the nest until eggs hatch, which is usually about 2–3 days. Newly hatched fish larvae are about 2.32 mm long and appear translucent. They stay in the nest for several days before moving to shallow, sheltered waters.
o Food: Individuals smaller than about 16 cm in length eat plankton and minuscule crustaceans, while larger individuals feed on small fish (like shad), as well as minnows. Adult black crappie feed on fewer fish than white crappie do; instead they consume a larger volume of insects and crustaceans. According to scientific studies carried out in California, mysid shrimp, Neomysis awatschensis, as well as amphipods, and Corophium, were the most commonly eaten by all sizes of black crappie.
The black crappie's habitats are lakes, reservoirs, borrow pits, and navigation pools in large rivers. They prefer areas with little or no current, clear water, and abundant cover such as submerged timber or aquatic vegetation, as well as sand or mud bottoms like those found in lakes, ponds, streams, and sloughs.
o Predators: Larger fish and some birds
Location Found - The black crappie's range is uncertain, since it has been widely transplanted, but it is presumed to be similar to the white crappie's. Its native range is suspected to be in the eastern United States and Canada, and as of 2005, populations existed in all of the 48 contiguous U.S. states.
o Scientific Name: Pomoxis nigromaculatus
o Family: Centrachidae
o Order: Perciformes
o Size: Usually about 4-6 inches long and can be up to 5 pounds (world record)
o Lifespan: The oldest recorded age of a specimen is fifteen years, although seven years is a more typical life span for the species.
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period: Female crappies produce an average of 40,000 spherical eggs, the number depending on their age and size. After spawning, the male watches over the nest until eggs hatch, which is usually about 2–3 days. Newly hatched fish larvae are about 2.32 mm long and appear translucent. They stay in the nest for several days before moving to shallow, sheltered waters.
o Food: Individuals smaller than about 16 cm in length eat plankton and minuscule crustaceans, while larger individuals feed on small fish (like shad), as well as minnows. Adult black crappie feed on fewer fish than white crappie do; instead they consume a larger volume of insects and crustaceans. According to scientific studies carried out in California, mysid shrimp, Neomysis awatschensis, as well as amphipods, and Corophium, were the most commonly eaten by all sizes of black crappie.
The black crappie's habitats are lakes, reservoirs, borrow pits, and navigation pools in large rivers. They prefer areas with little or no current, clear water, and abundant cover such as submerged timber or aquatic vegetation, as well as sand or mud bottoms like those found in lakes, ponds, streams, and sloughs.
o Predators: Larger fish and some birds
Location Found - The black crappie's range is uncertain, since it has been widely transplanted, but it is presumed to be similar to the white crappie's. Its native range is suspected to be in the eastern United States and Canada, and as of 2005, populations existed in all of the 48 contiguous U.S. states.
o Common Name: Northern PIke
o Scientific Name: Esox lucius
o Family: Esocidae
o Order: Esociformes
o Size: Pike grow to a relatively large size: the average length is about 70–120 cm (28–47 in). Even so, lengths of up to 150 cm (59 in) and weights of 25 kg (55 lb) are very rare.
o Lifespan: 7 y on average (In Wild)
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period: When a pair starts slowing down, the male puts his tail under the female's body and releases his sperm, that is then mixed with the eggs by tail movement. The spawning consists of a great number of these moves several times a minute and going on for a few hours a day. Every move, between five and 60 eggs are laid. A female can continue the mating for three days in a row. After the mating, the males tend to stay in the area for a few extra weeks.
The color of the sticky eggs is yellow to orange; the diameter is 2.5 to 3 mm.The color of the sticky eggs is yellow to orange; the diameter is 2.5 to 3 mm.
o Food: A pike has a very typical hunting behavior; it is able to remain stationary in the water by moving the last fin rays of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins. Before striking, it bends its body and darts out to the prey using the large surface of its cordal fin, dorsal fin, and anal fin to propel itself. The fish has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth, immobilising it with its sharp, backward-pointing teeth, and then turning the prey headfirst to swallow it. It eats mainly fish, frog, but also small mammals and birds fall prey to pike. Young pike have been found dead from choking on a pike of a similar size
o Predators: Larger fish, large birds, and other pike.
o Location found (where you found/would find it): Within North America, northern pike populations are found in Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Montana, Maryland, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, Utah, Texas, northern New Mexico and Arizona, Colorado, New York, Idaho, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec (pike are rare in British Columbia and east coast provinces), Alaska, the Ohio Valley, the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries, the Great Lakes Basin and surrounding states, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma. They are also stocked in, or have been introduced to, some western lakes and reservoirs for sport fishing. Pike are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. They are typical ambush predators; they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods, and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike. In short, they inhabit any water body that contains fish, but suitable places for spawning are essential for their numbers.
o Scientific Name: Esox lucius
o Family: Esocidae
o Order: Esociformes
o Size: Pike grow to a relatively large size: the average length is about 70–120 cm (28–47 in). Even so, lengths of up to 150 cm (59 in) and weights of 25 kg (55 lb) are very rare.
o Lifespan: 7 y on average (In Wild)
o Reproduction: # of offspring and gestation period: When a pair starts slowing down, the male puts his tail under the female's body and releases his sperm, that is then mixed with the eggs by tail movement. The spawning consists of a great number of these moves several times a minute and going on for a few hours a day. Every move, between five and 60 eggs are laid. A female can continue the mating for three days in a row. After the mating, the males tend to stay in the area for a few extra weeks.
The color of the sticky eggs is yellow to orange; the diameter is 2.5 to 3 mm.The color of the sticky eggs is yellow to orange; the diameter is 2.5 to 3 mm.
o Food: A pike has a very typical hunting behavior; it is able to remain stationary in the water by moving the last fin rays of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins. Before striking, it bends its body and darts out to the prey using the large surface of its cordal fin, dorsal fin, and anal fin to propel itself. The fish has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth, immobilising it with its sharp, backward-pointing teeth, and then turning the prey headfirst to swallow it. It eats mainly fish, frog, but also small mammals and birds fall prey to pike. Young pike have been found dead from choking on a pike of a similar size
o Predators: Larger fish, large birds, and other pike.
o Location found (where you found/would find it): Within North America, northern pike populations are found in Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Montana, Maryland, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, Utah, Texas, northern New Mexico and Arizona, Colorado, New York, Idaho, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec (pike are rare in British Columbia and east coast provinces), Alaska, the Ohio Valley, the upper Mississippi River and its tributaries, the Great Lakes Basin and surrounding states, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma. They are also stocked in, or have been introduced to, some western lakes and reservoirs for sport fishing. Pike are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. They are typical ambush predators; they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods, and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike. In short, they inhabit any water body that contains fish, but suitable places for spawning are essential for their numbers.