Brown bass with a long body, mottled pattern, a large mouth, and a spiny dorsal fin.

Smallmouth bass

Micropterus dolomieu
Where at Shedd?
At Home on the Great Lakes
Diet Fishes, crayfish and insects
Size Length: Up to 2.3 feet (69 cm); common length: 15 inches (38 cm)
Type Fishes
Range North America
Habitat Rivers and lakes of the eastern US, the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi River basins; introduced worldwide

Did you know?

  1. Two factors make fishing for smallmouth bass a favorite pastime: its acrobatic energy and the beauty of the clear, unpolluted waters where it lives.
  2. Smallmouth bass come in a range of colors. The variations led scientists to classify this fish as different species—at least 14 times!

IUCN Red List Conservation Status