How Long Have Largemouth Bass Existed?

[BassAssassin726]

I've searched the web and couldn't find a definitive answer. So how long have largemouth bass been in existance? Where did the originate from? How long ago? Or even "bass" in general?

[NorcalBassin]

I think it may have been on the 7th day...

[Team9nine]

Roughly 3.5 million years ago, though the entire Micropterus lineage goes back about 7-8 million years.

-T9

[WRB]

As a sport bass fishing dates back to Dr Henshaw's book of Black Bass in 1881. As a species black bass date back to a period when the north American continent ecosystem could support thier existence; team9nine estimate sounds about in right.

Tom

[jignfule]

I think it may have been on the 7th day...

God wasn't resting when He made these babies

[Redlinerobert]

A bazillion years. Maybe more.

[retiredbosn]

It was on the third day, in other words between 7-10 thousand years

[Bassn Blvd]

My great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great , great, grandad wrote on his stone tablet about routinely catching 20 pound LMB.

[Long Mike]

How long bass have been in existence is immaterial. Only after George Perry caught his world record twenty-two pound plus bass in 1932, did bass fishermen look up and take notice. It's been a contest ever since.

[BassAssassin726]

It was on the third day, in other words between 7-10 thousand years

It was on the third day, in other words between 7-10 thousand years

Youre kidding right? You dont really think the earth is that old do you?

[POPRG]

just before marriage councilors were created..

[InLikeFinz]

just before marriage councilors were created..

You too eh? High five if you've ever thought how many baits you could purchase for the price of "a visit". Ha!

[BassAssassin726]

Thanks for a good and reasonable answer Team9nine. I dont believe in god so all the "on this day" stuff is rediculous. lol

[grimlin]

Thanks for a good and reasonable answer Team9nine. I dont believe in god so all the "on this day" stuff is rediculous. lol

They've been around longer than any of us on this board has been alive. Which pretty much proves they aren't going anywhere soon. Definitely a good question,but i don't think anybody has the exact answer for that one.

[Marty]

I've known T9 (not personally) for about 10 years and when he talks, I listen. When he says 3.5 million years you can be confident that that's based on the best scientific information available.

[bandsr4me20]

when God made the world.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

This looks like it is gonna turn into a religion vs evolution thread......But 3rd day sounds bout right to me.

[LgMouthGambler]

Well as far as religion, when I say "Im going to Church on Sunday morning", it means Im going fishing. Lets just be glad that they are here for us to enjoy.

[salmicropterus]

I've been around 3,784,583 years.

[Wayne P.]

They used to roam around on land and eat Tyrannosaurus rex for lunch. Then that comet thingy hit the earth off the coast of Mexico and killed most of them. The ones that survived evolved into marine animals and are on the way back to dominating the earth again. It may take a few million years though. That is why they are so agressive and put up such a struggle when caught. "That's my story and I'm sticking to it". LOL

[Sam]

The sunfish species is in different parts of our planet with various species being more prevelant in certain geographical areas.

I believe archiologists have found bass fossils dating back many thousands of years. In fact, there was a post on the Forum about the find.

You may want to Google the proper scientific name for the bass you are interested in to try to locate a source for the age of the species.

Or see a local college biologist who may be able to give you some direction on finding your answer.

[Raul]

I think it may have been on the 7th day...

And on the 8th day the Lord said: "let there be bass fishin...." and the South was created

[salmicropterus]

The sunfish species is in different parts of our planet with various species being more prevelant in certain geographical areas.

I believe archiologists have found bass fossils dating back many thousands of years. In fact, there was a post on the Forum about the find.

You may want to Google the proper scientific name for the bass you are interested in to try to locate a source for the age of the species.

Or see a local college biologist who may be able to give you some direction on finding your answer.

Micropterus salmoides is the largemouth version of the Black Bass, which of course, is not a true bass at all, but of the Sunfish family which includes bluegill, crappie etc.

[Dwight Hottle]

Since dirt, close enough.

[5150bass]

This is a really good question. As a little bit of a side note: It is very interesting how there was no "first" largemouth bass or smallmouth bass or any species. Every largemouth bass had to have parents and those parents had to be of the same species as it. With the slow and gradual change of evolution you would have a pretty tough time saying when the first largmouth was on Earth even if you could see each generation. In the same way that you cannot say which day you stopped being a baby. There was no last day you were a baby or any first day you became a child. There is just slow and gradual change. In the same way that we change slightly each day, species change slightly each generation.

So if T9 says that they have been around for 3.5 million years, 4 million years ago there would have been a fish (the ancestor of largemouth bass) that was quite similar to the bass alive 3.5 million years ago.

To me, this gives me a further appreciation for the fish we catch. It is great that we live in a time in history when we know how all the animals got to be the way they are. We are the only animal on Earth that have any clue to these types of questions.