Details
Micropterus salmoides
A North American freshwater sunfish with a huge mouth, famous in sport fishing and as an ambush predator.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Lives in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and slow rivers, especially around vegetation, logs, rocks, and other ambush cover.
The body is greenish brown with a dark lateral band. The upper jaw extends behind the eye when the mouth is closed.
It waits alone near cover and rushes at nearby prey. Males guard nests and young fry.
It eats fish, crayfish, frogs, aquatic insects, and occasionally small birds or mammals, relying on ambush strikes.
In spring, males build shallow nests and guard eggs and fry. Water temperature strongly affects timing.
Introduced populations can put strong predation pressure on native fishes and amphibians.
