North American freshwater bony fish. It has an oblong body, with a low dorsal fin and the anal fin shorter than the soft part of the dorsal. Black bass are typical fish predators, hiding behind rocks and pouncing on their prey, which includes smaller fishes, supplemented by small crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic insects.

Classification
There are two species: Micropterus salmonides (also called largemouth bass), which is found from Canada to the Great Lakes and as far south as Texas; and the small-mouthed M. dolomieu. They belong to the sunfish family Centrarchidae, order Perciformes, class Osteichthyes.